The Simplicity and Complexity of Public Attitudes Toward Sex Crimes

Previous research on public opinion about crime has indicated that these attitudes are more complex than simplistic polls have suggested. These opinions have been shown to be affected by a number of factors including the amount of offense information provided and the types of questions asked. Few researchers have similarly examined the complexity of public opinion about sex crimes. For the present study, a survey was administered to a sample of Pennsylvania residents to examine general and specific attitudes toward sexual offenses and offenders. The factorial survey method was employed to examine the effects of offense characteristics (e.g., offender sex, victim age) on punitiveness, estimations of victim harm, and attitudes about treatment amenability. The findings indicated that public attitudes toward sex crimes are simple and complex. The policy and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed, in addition to suggestions for future research.