Crime and Harassment on Public Transportation: a Survey of SJSU Students Set in International Context
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Project 1810 March 2020 Crime and Harassment on Public Transportation: A Survey of SJSU Students Set in International Context Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D. Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D. Cristina Tortora, Ph.D. Yajing Hu, Ph.D. MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE transweb.sjsu.edu MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE MTI FOUNDER LEAD UNIVERSITY OF Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility Hon. Norman Y. Mineta MTI BOARD OF TRUSTEES Founded in 1991, the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), an organized research and training unit in partnership with the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business at San José State University (SJSU), increases mobility for all by improving the safety, Founder, Honorable Grace Crunican* Therese McMillan Paul Skoutelas (Ex-Officio) efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation’s transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development, Norman Mineta (Ex-Officio) (TE 2022) (TE 2022) President & CEO Secretary (ret.), Retired Executive Director American Public Transportation and technology transfer, we help create a connected world. MTI leads the four-university Mineta Consortium for Transportation US Department of Transportation Metropolitan Transportation Association (APTA) Mobility, a Tier 1 University Transportation Center funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Assistant Donna DeMartino (TE 2021) Commission (MTC) Chair, General Manager & CEO Dan Smith (TE 2020) Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and by private grants Abbas Mohaddes (TE 2021) San Joaquin Regional Transit District Bradley Mims (TE 2020) President and donations. President & COO President & CEO Capstone Financial Group, Inc. Econolite Group Inc. Nuria Fernandez* (TE 2020) Conference of Minority General Manager & CEO Transportation Officials (COMTO) Beverley Swaim-Staley MTI’s transportation policy work is centered on three primary responsibilities: Vice Chair, Santa Clara Valley (TE 2022) Will Kempton (TE 2022) Transportation Authority (VTA) Jeff Morales (TE 2022) President Retired Managing Principal Union Station Redevelopment Research John Flaherty (TE 2020) InfraStrategies, LLC Corporation Executive Director, Senior Fellow MTI works to provide policy-oriented research for all levels active assistance of the California Department ofTransportation Karen Philbrick, PhD Silicon Valley American Dan Moshavi, PhD Jim Tymon (Ex-Officio) of government and the p rivate sector to foster the develop- (Caltrans), MTI delivers its classes over a state-of-the-art (Ex-Officio) Leadership Form (Ex-Officio) Executive Director Mineta Transportation Institute Dean, Lucas College and American Association of ment of optimum surface transportation systems. 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With the Hilary Nixon, Ph.D. San José State University Deputy Executive Director Katherine Kao Cushing, Ph.D. Taeho Park, Ph.D. Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Enviromental Science Organization and Management Ph.D. San José State University San José State University Education Director National Transportation Finance Dave Czerwinski, Ph.D. Christa Bailey Center Director Marketing and Decision Science Martin Luther King, Jr. Library San José State University San José State University Brian Michael Jenkins Disclaimer National Transportation Security The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the information presented Center Director herein. This document is disseminated in the interest of information exchange. The report is funded, partially or entirely, by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program. This report does not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the U.S. government, State of California, or the Mineta Transportation Institute, who assume no liability for the contents or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard specification, design standard, or regulation. REPORT 20-09 CRIME AND HARASSMENT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: A SURVEY OF SJSU STUDENTS SET IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D. Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D. Cristina Tortora, Ph.D. Yajing Hu, Ph.D. March 2020 A publication of Mineta Transportation Institute Created by Congress in 1991 College of Business San José State University San José, CA 95192-0219 TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. 20-09 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Crime and Harassment on Public Transportation: March 2020 A Survey of SJSU Students Set in International Context 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Authors 8. Performing Organization Report Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D. 0000-0003-2328-0263 CA-MTI-1810 Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D. 0000-0003-0186-4751 Cristina Tortora, Ph.D. 0000-0001-8351-3730 Yajing Hu, Ph.D. 0000-0001-9738-0457 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business 11. Contract or Grant No. San José State University 69A3551747127 San José, CA 95192-0219 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology 14. Sponsoring Agency Code University Transportation Centers Program 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 15. Supplemental Notes 10.31979/mti.2020.1810 16. Abstract Communities around the world are gradually becoming aware that transit riders, and especially women, are often victims of a wide range of offenses of a sexual nature that happen on buses and trains, and at bus stops and train stations. Better understanding the extent and nature of sexual harassment on transit is a critical issue for transit operators and society at large. If fear of sexual crime limits if and how people ride transit, the result is reduced mobility for certain segments of the population, as well as lost ridership for transit agencies. For this study, we surveyed 891 students at San José State University (SJSU), a large public university in the San Francisco Bay Area. The survey explored in detail whether and how student riders experience sexual harassment, as well as how fear of such harassment influences their transit use. Recognizing that transit trips are complex, multi-phased activities, the