Web resource:	http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/~/media/ResourceCentre/PublicationsandResources/NCAS_CommunityAttitudes_report_2010.ashx
Type:	Report
Title:	National survey on community attitudes to violence against women 2009 : changing cultures, changing attitudes - preventing violence against women
Authors:	prepared by Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
Keywords:	Prevention;Community education;Community attitudes;Statistics
Categories:	Statistics Prevention
Year:	2009
Publisher:	Victorian Government Publishing Service
Notes:	"A summary of findings" General Overview: This report summarises the key findings of the Australian National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey 2009:. The survey was conducted by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, in association with the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Social Research Centre. Related documents include a full technical report and a factsheet. Objective: The survey investigated community attitudes to a wide range of forms of violence against women including domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault and stalking. It covered five key areas of community attitudes to violence: perceptions of what constitutes violence against women; understanding of the consequences and harms caused by violence; attitudes which justify or excuse violence; myths and beliefs about victims and offenders; awareness of community education and advertising. Methods: The survey included 10 000 telephone interviews with people over the age of sixteen across Australia, 2 500 telephone interviews specifically targeting Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian communities, and 400 face to face interviews with Indigenous Australians. Researchers also conducted qualitative interviews with non traditional community leaders in Sudanese, Iraqi, Assyrian and Iranian communities. Results: In order to examine changes in community attitudes over time, the report compares the findings of the 2009 survey with those of a previous survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Office of the Status of Women in 1995. While the overall trend in community attitudes to violence against women is encouraging, the authors found that certain myths about violence have endured, and in some cases become more prevalent. Some positive changes in attitudes include: greater recognition of the range of acts which constitute domestic violence, in particular psychological, verbal and economic abuse; a significant increase in the proportion of the population who believe domestic violence is a crime; and a greater preparedness of the community to intervene in domestic violence situations, especially those involving a friend or family member. The key areas where attitudes to violence against women remain problematic include: a poor understanding of violence against women with disabilities; an increase in the proportion of the community which believes that domestic violence is perpetrated equally by men and women; the persistence of attitudes which justify, excuse and minimise violence against women; and a widespread belief that women often make false allegations of violence. According to the survey, the strongest predictors for holding violence-supportive attitudes are being male and having low levels of support for gender equity or equality. Recommendations: The report makes recommendations for comprehensive preventative approaches and for national leadership in reducing violence against women. The survey will be used to develop the Commonwealth Government’s primary prevention social marketing campaign.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/18981
ISBN:	9780980735406
Physical description:	78 p.
Appears in Collections:	Reports

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