What percentage of rapes are attributed to strangers?

• A. 28%
• B. 26%
• C. 38%
• D. 7%

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that the person who rapes is not usually a stranger; most rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. In many national data sets, the share of rapes carried out by a stranger falls in the mid-20s to around 30%. The figure 26% sits right in that commonly cited range, reflecting that roughly one in four rapes involves a stranger while the rest involve someone the victim is acquainted with (a friend, acquaintance, family member, or intimate partner). This distinction matters for risk assessment and safety planning, because the relationship to the offender can influence indicators of risk and the appropriate response.

Some sources describe the stranger share as lower (often around 7%) or higher (near 38%) depending on how “stranger” and other categories are defined, the population studied, and the data collection method. The 26% figure aligns with many contemporary IPV statistics used in practice materials, making it the best fit for this item.