Citation

Mennicke A, Kennedy SC, Gromer J, Klem-O'Connor M. J. Interpers. Violence 2018; ePub(ePub): 886260518780411.

Affiliation

University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260518780411

PMID

29936905

Abstract

The article evaluates the effectiveness of a 5-year social norms sexual violence prevention marketing campaign designed specifically for men on a large public university in the Southeastern United States. From 2010 through 2014, 4,158 men were asked about their self-reported attitudes, beliefs, and behavior related to sexual violence as well as their perception of their peers' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Using social norms theory, a social norms marketing campaign was developed to target highly discrepant attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

RESULTS indicate that both self-reported and perception of peer attitudes and beliefs improved over time, and the discrepancy between the two reduced over time. In addition, the frequency of positive and prosocial self-reported behavior increased on five of the six indicators. This study represents a significant contribution to the literature, as it uses 5 years of data and includes behavioral indicators to add evidence for the efficacy of targeting misperceptions of social norms as a mechanism to engage men in gender-based violence prevention.

Language: en

Keywords

anything related to sexual assault; prevention; sexual assault