Responding to Campus Sexual Assault:  Policy Preferences among the American Public

• In Event: Advances in Sexual Offense Policy Research: Risk Factors and Offender Characteristics of Sexual Offenses

Abstract

How does the American public view and respond to campus sexual assault? What policies are perceived as effective measures to prevent victimization and among whom? These questions and more are explored in the current study. Specifically, we draw on national poll data conducted in 2015, a critical period when concern about campus sex assault was high among policymakers and the public. Overall, our findings indicate that over 80 percent of the public perceive sexual assault on the typical college campus to be a national problem. Support for initiatives to prevent sexual assault is mixed, however. Analysis indicates social and demographic divides in policy preferences. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Christina Mancini, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Kristen M. Budd, Miami University