About the survey

The National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey, or the NCAS, is a resource for anyone wanting to understand and prevent the serious and prevalent problem of violence against women.

The NCAS tells us how people understand violence against women, their attitudes towards it, what influences their attitudes, and if there has been a change over time. It also gauges attitudes to gender equality and people’s preparedness to intervene when witnessing abuse or disrespect towards women.

It can be used by community educators, policy-makers, program planners, researchers, journalists, and students.

The NCAS is the world’s longest-running survey of community attitudes towards violence against women. It was initially developed on behalf of the Australian Government in 1995, drawing on an earlier 1987 survey.

It is implemented every 4 years. The last two national waves were led by VicHealth (2009 and 2013). ANROWS is proud to have led the 2017 survey.

The Australian Government’s Department of Social Services (DSS) funds the NCAS as part of The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. It is one way of monitoring the progress of the plan.

The 2017 NCAS is closely aligned with Change the Story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia, which was developed to support achievement of the National Plan goals. The NCAS also complements the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Personal Safety Survey (PSS), which asks people about their experiences of violence.