Sociology Department Talk: Natasha Quadlin

Please join us for a colloquium being given by Natasha Quadlin, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ohio State University.

Whom Do You Believe? Assessing Credibility of the Accuser and Accused in Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is one of the most prominent issues of our time. Although social scientists have investigated some aspects of sexual assault—e.g., the problem of sexual assault on college campuses—little research has assessed public attitudes toward sexual assault, including whether the public tends to side with the accuser (usually, although not always, a woman) or the accused (usually, although not always, a man). In this talk, I present results from an original nationally representative survey experiment (N = 2,005) designed to examine public attitudes toward the accuser and accused in cases of sexual assault. We consider which party is considered more credible, as well as the specific circumstances surrounding the case that shape perceptions of credibility. Results will be discussed, along with a consideration of theoretical implications for the study of gender attitudes in social science research.