survey results

Domestic Violence: Views on Campus Survey, 1995

Key Learning

The findings presented in this study indicate that most college students today are aware of, and concerned about, domestic violence. In fact, students resoundingly believe:

  • That society needs to help victims of domestic violence cope with it when it happens.
  • That the issue is very real and pervasive.
  • That methods are needed to prevent domestic violence before it starts.
  • That society ought to penalize those who perpetuate domestic violence.
  • That it is not true that recent media attention about the issue exaggerates how common it is; in fact, just over half, report that they personally know someone close to them who has been affected by domestic violence.

Findings In Depth

A Top-of-Mind Concern
Domestic violence is a top-of-mind concern for college students on campuses nationwide. Three in four (75%) consider it a major problem in our society; it ranked third (along with poverty) among fourteen social problems listed in the survey. Only violent crime and AIDS ranked higher.

Nearly seven in ten (68%) students disagree that recent media attention on domestic violence has exaggerated how common it is. In fact, student awareness of the issue is quite high. Just over half (59%) report they personally know friends, relatives or someone else close to them who has been affected by domestic violence.

To Whom Should We Turn?
Virtually all (98%) college students view domestic violence as a crime and believe the public has a responsibility to help people deal with it. Nine in ten (89%) disagree that it is solely a family matter and that others should not interfere. Furthermore, if they were to witness an act of domestic violence, seven in ten students report they would take action on the spot, either by calling the police (47%) or by offering immediate assistance (25%).

When asked which entities should play a major role in addressing the issue, students believe it is both a private and public concern. They are about as likely to believe the family (95%) and domestic violence social service organizations (91%) should be in the forefront. They also believe the court system (83%) and the police (81%) have a meaningful role to play. When asked what would be effective ways of combating the problem, they responded that they'd like to see assistance for those affected and penalties for the perpetrators of domestic violence. Students believe that offering "counseling" (79%) and "shelters for victims" (69%) would make a difference, as well as "punishment for batterers including prison" (79%) and "police enforcement of restraining orders" (78%).

How Should We Stop It?
Rather than deal with domestic violence solely after it has occurred, students also believe that preventive measures are critical. Six in ten believe "programs to make the public more sensitive" (62%), fostering an atmosphere of "cultural intolerance" in our society (61%), and "intervention programs such as 800-numbers and hotlines" (58%) would make a major difference.

The Liz Claiborne, Inc. survey, "Domestic Violence: Views On Campus," was based on telephone interviews with 300 college students on campuses across the United States. Students were screened at random from a current list provided by CollegeTrack, a youth division of Roper Starch. The universe for Roper CollegeTrack consists of fully accredited institutions in the continental U.S. offering at least four years of undergraduate instruction. Educational institutions are selected from a sampling frame based on data from The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). A nationally representative distribution of institutions by size and type of institution by geographic area is achieved through the CollegeTrack sample. Interviewing was conducted between April 26 - May 7, 1995. The results presented in this report are representative of the views and opinions of this population of students within a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two to eight percentage points on the totals. Complete findings from the survey are available, on request, from Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. 320 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10014.