Safe Rhode Island:
Violence and Injury Prevention Program

Violence Against Women

Public Education & Information Initiative:

Public Opinion Survey – Baseline Data October 1997

Executive Summary

Background

Funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Opinion Survey was designed to assess baseline community attitudes toward domestic violence and sexual assault, rationalizations for violence against women, ways the public currently gets involved, and barriers to involvement. The survey was also designed to track public awareness of the Network’s fall 1997 media campaign. The questions used in the survey were modeled after those used by the Family Violence Prevention Fund to evaluate their media campaign. However, the questions were modified to include sexual assault, and to reduce the required reading level of participants. Demographic questions were modeled after those used by the Rhode Island Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire. The survey was administered through in-person interviews at selected locations throughout the state in June, 1997. Participants were approached at Kennedy Plaza, the RI State Registry of Motor Vehicles – Pawtucket and Wakefield offices, and the Warwick Mall. They were asked to complete the five to ten minute survey.

Demographics of Respondents

Of the total number of people approached, 467 completed the survey. Fifty-four percent of respondents were women. The respondents ranged in age from eighteen to sixty-six; 43% were 18-34 years of age, 33% were 35-49 years old, and 24% were over age fifty. About one third (29%) of the participants had no college education, and slightly over one third (38%) had graduated from college. Almost half (42%) of the respondents were married, 17% were divorced, widowed or separated, 15% were part of an unmarried couple, and 26% had never married. The respondents came from a wide range of income brackets. Thirty-nine per cent of the participants in the survey reported an annual income of less than $25,000; 25% reported an income between $25,000 and $40,000 and 36% reported earning over $40,000 a year. While the majority of the participants were white (81%), 8.8% of the respondents were black; 2.3% were Asian; 1.6% were American Indian/Alaska Natives, and 6.3% identified as "other." Six per cent of the participants were Hispanic or Spanish.

Justification for Violence

The Survey was designed in part to determine whether or not the general public currently believes that there are excuses for violence. The results indicate that, overall, the public does not believe that stress or drunkenness is an excuse for physically or sexually abusing a woman. They also believe that being married is not an excuse for sexual assault. 97% agree (3.5% somewhat, 93.5% strongly) that being stressed out or drunk is no excuse for a man to physically abuse a woman. 98% agree (3% somewhat, 95% strongly) that being stressed out or drunk is no excuse for a man to sexually assault a woman. 91% agree (12% somewhat, 79% strongly) that a husband who forces his wife to have sex when she doesn’t want it is sexually assaulting her. However, there does appear to be a common belief that some wives provoke their husbands into hurting them.  43% agree (13% somewhat, 30% strongly) that some-wives provoke their husbands into hurting them. Interestingly, 58% of men agree (18% strongly, 40% somewhat) that some wives provoke their husbands into hurting them, as compared to only 28% (8% strongly, 20% somewhat) of women.

Barriers to Intervention 

• Fear

About 30% of respondents indicated that they were afraid to stop a man from physically abusing (32.2%) or sexually assaulting (30%) a woman. Interestingly, 40% of women were afraid to intervene, where as only one fifth of men (24% - physical assault; 20% - sexual assault) were afraid to stop a man from hurting a woman

• Role Perception

To determine whether people felt that they should intervene in cases of violence against women, the survey asked people to indicate whether they felt that they should " mind their own business" when a man physically or sexually assaults a woman in marital and dating situations. Overall, men were more likely than women to say that they should mind their own business. 83% of all people surveyed did not agree that they should mind their own business when a man physically abuses his wife in their home. 22% of men felt it was none of their business, and only 12% of women felt that it was none of their business if a man physically abused his wife in their own home. 15% of those surveyed felt that they should mind their own business when a husband sexually assaults his wife in their own home. Again, more men (25%) than women (15%) felt that they should mind their own business.  13% felt that they should mind their own business when a man physically abuses his girlfriend on a date. 17% of men felt they should mind their own business as compared to 9% of women. 11% (13% of men and 8% of women) felt that they should mind their own business when a man sexually assaults his girlfriend on a date. In addition, people were questioned about whether they would call the police if a man was physically abusing or sexually assaulting a woman. In general, people felt that they should call the police in cases of violence against women. 91% said that they would call the police if a man was physically abusing a woman. 93% said that they would call the police if a man was sexually assaulting a woman.

Knowledge of methods of intervention

The third goal of the survey was to determine if people felt that they knew how to intervene in cases of sexual assault and domestic violence. Of the respondents, 42% agreed (16% strongly, 26% somewhat) with the statement that they did not know what they could do to stop domestic violence and sexual assault in their neighborhood. In addition, to determine whether the public knows how to intervene, survey respondents were asked what they had done in the past year to help end domestic violence and sexual assault. 10% had called the police to report domestic violence; 5% had reported sexual assault to the police. 19% had talked to an abused woman about her abuse; 10% had talked to a sexually assaulted woman about her abuse. 14% had talked to a physically abused woman about where she could get help; 8% had talked to a sexually assaulted woman about where she could get help. 10% had talked to an abusive man about his behavior; 4% had talked to a sexually abusive man about his behavior. 4% had talked to neighbors to decide what to do about domestic violence; 2% had talked to neighbors to decide what to do about sexual assault. 6% had contacted a domestic violence agency for help or information; 4% had contacted a sexual assault agency for help or information. 5% had gotten involved with local programs that help reduce domestic violence; 5% had gotten involved with local programs that help reduce sexual assault. 63% did nothing to help end domestic violence; 78% did nothing to help end sexual assault.

Effectiveness of Past Efforts

92% of respondents had seen or heard stories about domestic violence or sexual assault on the television, in the newspaper, or on the radio in the past six months very often (61%) or fairly often (31%). 79% (84% of women; 72% of men) of the public said that seeing and hearing these stories made them more likely to do something about sexual assault and domestic violence. Overall, 18% of people said that the media coverage had no effect on their likeliness to do something about sexual assault and domestic violence. 23% of men reported being unaffected by stories in the media, as compared to 14% of women. 92% of respondents said that they were likely (57% very likely, 35% somewhat likely) to do something to stop domestic violence in the future. Interestingly, 95% of women said that they were likely (62% very likely, 37% somewhat likely) to do something. 90% of respondents said that they were very likely (53% or somewhat likely (37%) to do something about sexual assault in the future.  THE NETWORK is a Partnership of the Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center and members of the RI Coalition against Domestic Violence: The Blackstone Shelter; Elizabeth Buffum Chace House; Sojourner House; Women’s Center of Rhode Island; Women’s Resource Center of South County; Women’s Resource Center; Serving Newport & Bristol Counties.