The Influence of Moral Intuitions on Americans’ Divergent Reactions to Reports of Sexual Assault and Harassment

Drawing on insights from moral psychology, we examine the influence of moral intuitions on Americans’ divergent reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment. We hypothesize that Americans whose moral intuitions emphasize care and protection of the vulnerable will show a greater willingness to believe reports of sexual assault and harassment, while those whose moral intuitions emphasize social order and cohesion will show greater skepticism toward such reports. Using data from a nationally representative sample of USA adults (N =1050), we find strong support for both hypotheses. We also find that the influence of moral intuitions on reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment is partially mediated by respondents’ willingness to attribute responsibility to victims of sex crimes. Our results hold when females and males are examined separately. The study provides compelling evidence that a moral intuitionist approach is useful for understanding Americans’ divergent reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment.

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Work Title The Influence of Moral Intuitions on Americans’ Divergent Reactions to Reports of Sexual Assault and Harassment
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Eric Silver
  2. Stacy Silver
Keyword
  1. Sexual assault
  2. Sexual harassment
  3. Moral foundations theory
  4. Moral intuitions
  5. Victim blaming
  6. Victim responsibility
  7. Rape myths
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Publication Date October 15, 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211050102
Deposited July 19, 2022

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added Silver-Silver__S__2021_The_Influence_of_Moral_Intuitions_on_Americans__Divergent_Reactions_to_Reports_of_Sexual_Assault_and_Harassment.pdf
  • Added Creator Eric Silver
  • Added Creator Stacy Silver
  • Published
  • Updated Keyword, Publication Date Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Moral foundations theory, Moral intuitions, Victim blaming, Victim responsibility, Rape myths
    Publication Date
    • 2021-01-01
    • 2021-10-15
  • Updated