NCAS

Mistrust study – Investigating Australians’ mistrust of women’s reports of sexual violence

The results of the 2017 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS) revealed high levels of mistrust of women’s reports of sexual assault in some contexts.

To investigate these NCAS findings, this qualitative study will explore three key factors affecting the credibility of women’s reports of sexual violence: the perceived motives of the woman making the allegation; whether positive portrayals of the accused impact on trusting women’s reports; and, whether knowing or relating to the accused (e.g. friendship) has an impact on whether a woman’s report is believed.