Moral Foundations of Public Attitudes Toward Sexual Offending

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offense Policy Research: Exploring Public Views and Opinions

Abstract

Although a substantial body of research has examined the views held by citizens and professionals concerning sex offenders and sex offender policies, few studies to date have examined psychological mechanisms that underpin such attitudes and beliefs. This presentation discusses results from a series of survey-based experiments examining the relationship between citizens’ attitudes toward sexual offenders and their moral belief systems, as operationalized through Haidt and Graham’s Moral Foundations Theory (MFT). Based on national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults undertaken in early 2016, the study results illuminate how varying conceptions of morality may be implicated in public attitudes and judgments surrounding sexual violence and abuse, as well as policies designed to address it. Implications for communication strategies around the problem of sexual violence and for community engagement in policy reform will be discussed.

Authors

• Craig Harper, University of Lincoln (UK)

• Andrew Harris, University of Massachusetts Lowell