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(RNN) - Hundreds of women in Hollywood have experienced instances of sexual harassment and assault, according to a USA Today survey released on Tuesday.

The survey showed 94 percent of women in Hollywood who responded said they have experienced sexual harassment or assault at some point in the workplace.

The survey included 843 women. Only one in four had ever reported any of their experiences for fear of backlash.

That means around 600 women who responded had been assaulted or harassed and remained silent.

The research was done in conjunction with The Creative Coalition, an arts advocacy group, Women in Film and Television and the National Sexual Violence Center. Women surveyed in the entertainment industry spanned a wide range of professions, from actresses to writers to directors and producers.

Hollywood has seen a number of powerful men exposed as predators since the producer and executive Harvey Weinstein was accused by dozens of women of rape and other forms of assault, beginning with a New York Times article in October.

USA Today acknowledged scientific limits to the survey. It was conducted via email between December and January, from a self-selected sample of women belonging to the partner organizations who were invited to participate.

Nonetheless, the survey revealed a large set of women reporting a range of abuse. Among a number of forms of intimidation and violence, it said: 

• 87 percent had heard “unwelcome sexual comments, jokes or gestures to or about you.”
• 69 percent had been “touched in a sexual way.”
• 64 percent had been “propositioned for a sexual act/relationship.” 
• 21 percent had been “forced to do a sexual act."

The survey said few women reported their abuse. And those who did, said it didn't help. Just 28 percent of the women said they saw improvement in their situation after reporting it.

Anita Raj, the director of the Center for Gender Equity and Health at the University of California, San Diego, said that she would like to “see more solidity in the scientific aspects” of the survey, but that the results were valuable and not surprising, and might in fact accurately reflect the industry-wide experience of women.

“It says this is ubiquitous in Hollywood. There is a lack of clarity on what constitutes professional interactions in this context,” she said. “So it wouldn’t surprise me if in fact it were 94 percent.”

USA Today said it will be releasing follow-up reports next week and in March, focusing on the victims and actions being taken within the industry to address sexual harassment and assault.

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