If there's a conversation taking place about the prevalence of campus sexual assault in the United States, the phrase "one in five" is usually within earshot.
"It is estimated that one in five women on college campuses has been sexually assaulted during their time there," President Obama said in January. Obama has cited the statistic multiple times throughout the last few years, as have Vice President Biden and the U.S. Department of Education. Senators use the statistic when writing legislation or holding hearings. Pundits and columnists have opened many an editorial with it, and it's a favorite of student activists, frequently appearing on hand-written signs at protests and marches.
For many it's a number that has helped galvanize a movement -- an encapsulation of just how large the problem of campus sexual assault is. But for others, including some sexual assault prevention advocates and some who question the current focus on sexual assault on campus, the statistic can be a distraction, a lightning rod that generates more arguments than solutions and overshadows other research on the topic.
And many question just how accurate the figure is. John Foubert, founder of sexual assault prevention group One in Four, said the proliferation of one-in-five "drives him nuts."
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/15/critics-advocates-doubt-oft-cited-campus-sexual-assault-statistic