Disposable and Dismissed: An Experiment in the Study of Sexual Violence and Public Opinion Open Access
Lehther, Asmita (Spring 2026)
Abstract
How does the gender of survivors of sexual violence and institutional framing of sexual violence shape public support for sexual violence interventions? Drawing on scholarship examining gendered victimhood and policy framing, this study tests whether male survivors face systematic disadvantages in public perception and whether public health versus policy framing influences support levels. I hypothesize that male survivors receive significantly less public support than women survivors, and that the explicit mention of male survivors decreases support for resource allocation compared to women survivors. Drawing on research showing that public health approaches emphasize education and prevention while policy approaches remain fragmented and stereotype-driven, I anticipate higher affective, financial, and structural support for survivors when sexual violence is framed as a health concern rather than a policy issue. I expect the interaction of gender and framing to compound these effects, with male survivors facing particularly diminished support under policy framing.
This project employs a survey experiment to test competing hypotheses for supporting survivors. I recruit approximately 1,000 respondents through Prolific, randomly assigning each to one of five conditions: four treatments presenting news articles about sexual violence that vary survivor gender (male/women) and institutional framing (public health/policy), plus a control condition. Post-treatment measures assess perceptions of survivors, support levels, and policy preferences, including behavioral indicators of willingness to contact elected officials.
This research addresses a critical gap in understanding how gendered narratives and institutional frames interact to create systematic disparities in support for survivors. My results reveal that exposure to the treatment condition article about sexual violence significantly increased affective survivor support across all four treatment conditions, when compared to the control (all p < 0.001). The public health frame and women survivor treatment condition consistently produced the strongest effects across all three support outcomes. While survivor gender produced modest but significant differences within specific framing conditions, frame type alone rarely reached statistical significance. Additionally, women respondents were significantly more responsive to survivor gender than male respondents across all three support outcomes. Hostile sexism emerged as the strongest individual-level predictor; suppressing support across all outcomes. Overall, this study adds to a body of literature that seeks to understand gendered perceptions of survivors and the power of frames to aid increasing support. At the very least, my paper indicates that there are statistically significant ways that information can shape support responses; I believe that future researchers will be able to find success in increasing support though framing beyond what I have identified.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Important Concepts and Definitions
Literature Review.
4a. Gendered Perceptions of Vulnerability
4b. Gender and Sexual Violence
4c. Sexual Violence and Institutional Framing
4d. Public Opinion and Vulnerable Populations
4e. Public Health vs. Policy Approaches
4f. Gaps in the Literature
Theoretical Argument
Research Design
Results
1. Affective Survivor Support
2. Financial, Structural, & Affective Survivor Support
3. Effects of Respondent Gender
4. Effects of Respondent Hostile Sexism Levels
Conclusion
Bibliography
Supplementary Materials
List of Figures:
Treatment Conditions and Descriptions
Figure 1. Mean Affective Survivor Support by Treatment Condition
Figure 2a. Predicted Survivor, Structural, and Financial Support by Treatment Condition
Figure 2b. Predicted Support by Survivor Gender, without Frame Type
Figure 2c. Predicted Support by Frame Type, without Gender
Figure 2d. Predicted Structural Support by Item and Treatment Conditions
Figure 3a. Predicted Support by Respondent Gender and Survivor Gender in the Treatment Condition
Figure 4a. Predicted Support by Hostile Sexism Score and Treatment Condition
Figure 4b. Predicted Support by Benevolent Sexism Score and Treatment Condition
About this Honors Thesis
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Disposable and Dismissed: An Experiment in the Study of Sexual Violence and Public Opinion () | 2026-04-14 12:22:01 -0400 |
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