A comprehensive assessment of rape myth beliefs throughout the UK: Results of a large scale nationally representative survey

• In Event: Victim, suspects and public perception about justice

Abstract

Vast prior research has examined the existence of rape myths throughout the world and scrutinised the societal groups most likely to endorse these falsehoods. However, researchers have typically recruited a small number of community participants or student samples, resulting in varied findings and a lack of consensus in the literature. The aim of this study was to therefore to examine the contemporary prevalence and correlates of rape mythology throughout the UK through surveying a large nationally representative community sample of adults. In total, 4315 UK adults aged 18+ took part in a cross-sectional survey online via our data collection organisational partner – YouGov. The survey included established and psychometrically validated rape myth assessment tools namely, the updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (uIRMA) Scale, the Male Rape Myth Scale (MRMS) and the Forced-to-Penetrate Myth Acceptance Scale (FTP-MAS), alongside socio-demographic questions. Results reveal that many rape myths appear to be in decline - at least when assessed in the abstract using the myth acceptance scales above. However, several specific rape myths and other myth ‘types’ or ‘categories’ such as masculinity and harm minimisation myths pertaining to male victims and those that doubt allegations made by female rape complainants, remain prevalent. Indeed, myths across varied victim-offender scenarios including male-on-female, male-on-male and female-on-male sexual offence types remain prevalent. Findings therefore highlight the continued need for targeted educational intervention programmes among certain groups whose attitudes are most problematic, especially given the important civic duties that the public hold in common law jurisdictions such as the UK, where members of the public are randomly selected to be jurors.

Authors

• Dominic Willmott, Loughborough University

• Siobhan Weare, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University

• Maddy Millar, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University