ATLANTA (AP) -- A U.S. government survey reports that 1 in 4 women say they were hit hard, kicked or otherwise violently attacked by their intimate partners.

The telephone survey, conducted last year, offers some startling new numbers about domestic violence.

One expert called the report's estimate than 1 in 5 U.S. women had been raped or the victim of attempted rape "extremely high." But advocates say rape has been vastly under-reported in the past and the new numbers are plausible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the study Wednesday. It's based on a survey of about 9,000 women.