Nearly half of American women say they have been sexually assaulted, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday.

The poll asked 1,747 adults: “Have you ever been sexually assaulted, meaning someone touched you in an inappropriate, sexual manner without your consent, or not?”

Forty-seven percent of women said yes, along with 17 percent of men. A quarter of the women and 4 percent of men said they fear they could be assaulted in the future.

“The number is staggering: Almost half of American women say they've been sexually assaulted,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

There is an upside, Malloy said.

“Most Americans believe that shining a light on the problem, rather than sweeping it under the rug, will help make us better people,” he said.

The poll results were announced the same day that Time magazine named “the Silence Breakers” — those who have shared their stories of sexual assault and harassment — as its Person of the Year.

Women in Hollywood and the media industry were among the first to come forward, and their stories grew into a movement linked to the social media hashtag #MeToo. Millions of people used the hashtag to show solidarity and tell their own stories of being the victims of abuse, assault, harassment and other misconduct.

Poll results showed that half of Americans think coming forward with such stories will change the country for the better. A third think it won't change anything.

Wednesday also saw a number of Washington lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, call for U.S. Sen. Al Franken to resign amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct by the Minnesota Democrat. Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House, resigned Tuesday following allegations that he groped or sexually harassed female staffers.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, 66 percent of Americans believe an elected official should resign if multiple people accuse them of sexual assault or harassment.

President Trump — himself accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment or assault — has called for Franken's resignation, although he has continued to endorse Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama, who has been accused by at least six women of sexual misconduct. Some were under 18 when Moore allegedly began pursuing them when he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s.

Of Trump's handing of sexual harassment and assault, 63 percent disapprove, and 73 percent say it is hypocritical for him to criticize accused men.

The poll, conducted Nov. 29 through Monday, had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. Quinnipiac is in Connecticut.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.

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