The survey of 1300 Dunedin secondary students was carried out following the fatal stabbing of Enere McLaren-Taana in May this year and found 45% did not feel safe in the inner city.
The figures were significantly worse for girls, with 55% saying they did not feel safe and less than 5% saying they felt safe.
Included were long-form answers where teenage girls wrote testimonies of being sexually assaulted and harassed while in the bus hub, trying to catch the bus and when around the inner city.
Dunedin police said the survey results were "concerning" and encouraged any victims of sexual offending to complain to police.
The survey found threatening behaviour, sexual assault and harassment towards young women was going largely unreported to police, he said.
Rohan said the testimonies given by students "were enough to bring you to tears".
"Some of the things that high school students, in particular young women, have had to endure just getting to and from school would move anyone to tears."
Cat-calling and verbal harassment was common, but also significant threats of assault, advances and harassment came up at a concerning rate, the survey found.
Many students responded saying they felt angry, abandoned and did not believe anyone cared.
"We like to think of our city as a safe-haven, yet we had a 16-year-old boy not go home to his family ... that’s the worst-case scenario — but it’s also reality," Rohan said.
Many students also commented that drug and alcohol use in the area was a significant problem.
The results of the survey, which captured 22% of Dunedin secondary school students, were included in a report listing actions by the city’s Inner City Safety Advisory Group set up in the wake of Enere’s death.
The group is made up of the Dunedin City Council, police, Otago Regional Council, Regional Public Service Commissioner Stephanie Voight, Ministry of Education, Principals Association, Business South, mana whenua, Pacific Trust Otago, Grey Power and the Dunedin Student Council.
NZ Police Otago Coastal area prevention manager Sam Ramsay said the survey showed a concerning number of reports of sexual harassment which did not match with the number of reports made to the police.
"We know it can be incredibly hard and at times distressing to report or talk about incidents of this nature, but we would like to reassure any victims of sexual offending we have a dedicated team of officers and detectives who focus on this area.
"We want to assure the community that any report of sexual harassment or violence is concerning and will be taken seriously."
There were several agencies that could also provide further support, he said.
Police have increased visibility and foot patrols in the central city, including through the bus hub, which included an established team of officers who focus on the central city responding to incidents as they arise.
"Part of the work police are doing as a member of the safety group is strongly encouraging people to report these incidents to police, whether that be via 111 in an emergency, via the 105 line, or through online reporting."
