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CHAPTER TWO MAIN FINDINGS

2.1 Data tabulations with detailed breakdowns are enclosed within the report. The main findings are summarised below. Reference is made to previous waves of research as appropriate. To set the previous waves in context, Wave 8 was conducted in February 2005, Wave 9 in January 2006, and Wave 10 in January 2007.

Experience of domestic abuse

2.2 Respondents were asked about their personal experience of domestic abuse via a self completion section of the questionnaire. They were asked to indicate whether they personally, or their close friends or relatives, had ever been the victim of domestic abuse. Additionally, they were also asked whether they had ever personally been responsible for domestic abuse against their partner. Results are shown in figure 2.1 below.

Figure 2.1: Experience of domestic abuse

Base: All respondents

2.3 The proportion of respondents who had had any experience of domestic abuse has remained fairly stable over recent waves, currently standing at 38% at Wave 11. This mostly comprised people who had close friends or relatives who had been the victim of domestic abuse (34% at Wave 11), and to a lesser extent people who had personally been the victim of domestic abuse (13% at Wave 11) and those who had been responsible for domestic abuse (2% at Wave 11).

2.4 The definition of domestic abuse was broadened to encompass its non-physical forms at Wave 9, which may have been a contributing factor in the slight rise in abuse recorded after Wave 8. For this reason, higher scores do not necessarily represent an increase in behaviour, but could instead be explained as a greater willingness to acknowledge such behaviour as domestic abuse.

Table 2.1: Experience of domestic abuse by demographics

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.5 In analysing experience of domestic abuse by demographics, smaller base sizes within sub-groups increase the scope for movements in percentages between waves, and this should be taken into account in comparing results within age and SEG in particular. Therefore, attention should focus on patterns rather than absolute percentages. The main points are outlined below:

2.6 Females, those within the DE social grades, and those aged 25-44 were most likely to have personally been victims of domestic abuse or have friends or family members who were victims of domestic abuse.

2.7 Females and males, and those from social grade ABC1C2 were equally likely to have been responsible for domestic abuse against their partner.

2.8 As found at previous waves, those aged 25-44 were more likely than any other age groups to be responsible for domestic abuse against their partner, and at Wave 11 those from the DE social grades were also particularly likely to be responsible for domestic abuse (however please note small base size).

2.9 A new question was inserted at Wave 9 exploring whether children were living in the household when domestic abuse occurred. Only those who had personally been victims or had been responsible for abuse were asked this question. The results are shown in figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: Whether children were in the household when domestic abuse occurred

Base: Victims or those responsible for domestic abuse

2.10 Results show that at each wave, children were present in around two thirds of cases (65% at Wave 11). At Wave 11, the number of those respondents who reported that children were present when they had been responsible for domestic abuse rose to 76%, although the very low base size here means that nothing conclusive can be drawn at this stage.

Sectors of society where abuse is most common

2.11 To establish whether domestic abuse is perceived by the public as associated with any particular sectors of the population, respondents were asked to identify, in general terms, the age groups and social classes in which they thought domestic abuse happens most often. The results are shown in the tables that follow, with an additional score for those who mentioned all age groups or all social classes in each case. Results are also shown in relation to sex, as well as for the total sample.

Table 2.2: Age groups in which domestic abuse happens more often

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.12 One of the key aims of previous domestic abuse campaigns was to challenge pre-conceptions about what types of people experience domestic abuse. The evaluations of the campaigns have continued to monitor these attitudes. The number of respondents saying that domestic abuse is something that affects people from all age groups rose to 45% at the latest wave, which reversed the trend observed at the previous two waves. Additionally, this pattern continued with small rises for each of the age groups, indicating a wider recognition of domestic abuse all round. Overall, domestic abuse remains an issue which, in comparison to the other age groups, is considered less to affect older people, as only 49% of respondents cited this age group at the current wave.

2.13 This general pattern of response was mirrored by both males and females, although women were still more likely to associate domestic abuse with all age groups than men.

2.14 Perceptions of the incidence of domestic abuse in relation to SEG are shown in Table 2.3 below.

Table 2.3: Social classes in which domestic abuse happens more often

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.15 Just over six in ten (61%) respondents felt that domestic abuse affects people from all social classes, a figure which has remained stable over the last three waves. Females were significantly more likely than males to believe that domestic abuse affects people from all social classes (70% versus 52%). Domestic abuse continued to be perceived by a majority of respondents (88%) to be most prevalent amongst the working classes.

2.16 Overall, the trend is towards fewer people seeing any barriers in respect of age and class in the incidence of domestic abuse.

Awareness of advertising or publicity about domestic abuse

2.17 The proportion of people spontaneously aware of advertising or publicity about domestic abuse has been consistently high at more than seven in ten over the last four waves. However, the high of 78% at Wave 9 has not been achieved at Wave 10 or 11 - where 70% and 72% spontaneous awareness was recorded respectively. It is worth noting that the level of awareness was slightly lower for men (69%) than for women (75%) at Wave 11.

2.18 Those who claimed to be aware of advertising and publicity about domestic abuse were asked where they had seen or heard this. In the chart below, figures have been re-percentaged based on the total sample to provide a more meaningful comparison of the impact of the different media across waves.

Figure 2.3: Sources of spontaneous advertising awareness

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.19 Although television continued to be the main source of advertising recalled ⁴, the proportion of those citing this medium was 63% at Wave 11, only slightly higher than the low of 59% recorded at Wave 10. As actual spend on TV advertising was around twice the spend at Wave 10, it is likely that the adverts simply did not remain front-of-mind.

2.20 Levels of recall of programmes on TV, outdoor posters, radio and advertising in newspapers remained fairly consistent across the most recent waves.

Content recall from television advertising

2.21 Respondents who said they had seen advertising on the subject of domestic abuse on television were asked to describe what they had seen. The main details recalled are shown in Table 2.4, whilst full details can be found within the appended data tabulations.

Table 2.4: Details recalled from television advertising

Base: All seen television advertising on domestic abuse recently

2.22 Although levels of recall of TV advertising were not particularly high overall, more than half (58%) of those who did recall the TV advert were able to describe at least one element of the Dolls House advert. This is much higher than levels recorded for other recent adverts over the last waves, although residual awareness from the last time it was shown may have elevated this slightly.

2.23 Recall for the Teddies advert was much lower, as only 3% described elements of this advert. However, to put this in context, Teddies was a newer and shorter advert which only ran for the latter part of the campaign.

2.24 More detailed content recall of the Dolls House advert is shown overleaf in Figure 2.4.

Figure 2.4: Story detail for Dolls House advert

Base: All seen television advertising on domestic abuse recently

2.25 Specific aspects of the Doll's House advert described included a young girl playing with dolls (20%), a young girl acting out her parents' behaviour with dolls (18%), and to a lesser extent the effects on children (11%) and a young girl acting out domestic abuse with dolls (10%).

2.26 Although certainly elements of the story, these focus on the children with dolls aspect of the execution rather than the domestic abuse aspect of the message. If the link is not being made, this may go some way to explain why levels of TV advertising recall on the subject of domestic abuse were relatively lower overall on this occasion.

2.27 The specific details of the Dolls House execution were recalled by females (67%) slightly more than males (47%) reflecting the type of media coverage bought which was designed to reach women when they are on their own via specific programming. Respondents who had experience of domestic abuse also had higher recall than the total sample on this occasion (62%).

Reach of current campaign

2.28 At the present wave, both the TV adverts ( Dolls House and Teddies) and the radio adverts ( ABC and Nursery Rhyme) were played in full to respondents.

2.29 The level of TV reach ⁵ was 83% - much higher than the levels recorded over the last few waves. This very high level of reach in conjunction with lower spontaneous awareness indicates that the advert has been seen by most respondents but is not always front-of-mind. The trend of females being more likely to have seen the advert than males noted at previous waves continued at Wave 11, at 89% of females compared to 82% of males. Those respondents who had experience of domestic abuse were also slightly more likely than the total sample to recall having seen one of the adverts (87%).

2.30 Respondents who recognised having seen the TV adverts before were asked what the main message of these was. The results are shown in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5: Main message taken from adverts

Base: All respondents who had seen adverts before

2.31 More than half (58%) of respondents thought that the advert sought to communicate the effects on children / family which was the main campaign message at Wave 11. Unsurprisingly, only 1% mentioned mental / psychological / emotional aspects of abuse - which was the main message at the previous wave. Specifically, 44% mentioned that children pick up on things. Just over a fifth of respondents (18%) felt that the message was no excuse - zero tolerance (a fall since Wave 10), whilst a further 13% mentioned help is available.

2.32 Again, although the intended key themes for the TV adverts were successfully communicated, there was more understanding of the effects on the children aspect as opposed to the domestic abuse aspect of the message.

2.33 When respondents were played the ABC and Nursery Rhyme radio adverts used in the latest campaign, 17% claimed to have heard ABC and 14% claimed to have heard Nursery Rhyme (giving a total reach of 23% who had heard either for radio advertising). This level of reach was much lower than was recorded over the last few waves, although it reflects the lower level of actual spend on radio advertising on this occasion. There was a small gender difference for the level of reach at Wave 11 - males (25%) slightly more likely than females (20%) to have heard one of the radio adverts. C2DE groups (30%) and those who had personally been the victim of domestic abuse (27%) were slightly more likely to have heard the radio adverts than the total sample.

2.34 Combining the reach figures for TV and radio gives a total reach for the campaign as a whole. At this wave the campaign achieved total reach of 85%, which is six percentage points higher than achieved at Wave 10 and compares very favourably to other social campaigns monitored by TNS System Three. To set these results in context, the spend on TV advertising was also much higher at Wave 11 than it was at Wave 10.

Figure 2.5 - Crossover of reach of adverts

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.35 Figure 2.5 shows the crossover of the adverts, which gives an indicator of the relative strength of each. In terms of TV advertising, the Dolls House advert was particularly strong, as 44% of respondents had seen both the Dolls House and TeddiesTV adverts, 32% had seen the Dolls House advert in isolation, but only 6% had seen the Teddies advert in isolation.

2.36 Although fewer had heard the radio adverts, each played a role in the total reach of radio advertising mix. 7% of respondents had heard both the ABC and Nursery RhymeTV adverts, 10% had heard the ABC advert in isolation, and 7% had heard the Nursery Rhyme advert in isolation.

2.37 However, when analysing the make-up of the reach for all advertising, the TV adverts were much stronger than the radio adverts - as 20% of respondents had seen/heard at least one of the TV and at least one of the radio adverts, 63% had seen at least one of the TV adverts in isolation, and only 3% had heard at least one of the radio adverts in isolation.

Attitudes towards domestic abuse

2.38 The ongoing communications campaign focuses public attention on the issue of domestic abuse as unacceptable. Part of the evaluation of the campaign therefore investigated respondents' attitudes to domestic abuse. Respondents were asked to indicate the strength of their agreement or disagreement with a series of attitude statements relating to domestic abuse, using a five point scale of agree strongly to disagree strongly for rating purposes ⁶. Figures 2.6 and 2.7 present a summary of levels of agreement with each statement among the total sample.

Figure 2.6: Attitudes towards Domestic abuse

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.39 This graph indicates few significant changes in attitude between Waves 8 and 11, and the public continued to agree that domestic abuse is unacceptable. As attitudes in relation to domestic abuse tend to be firmly held, this leads to little significant change year-on-year, although advertising does play a role in maintaining these beliefs.

2.40 Although not significant, there appears to be a slight softening of attitudes that domestic abuse of one partner by another is a common occurrence in Scotland, which has fallen by five percentage points over the last three waves. Similarly negative, if a woman experiences domestic abuse but stays with her partner, it's her own fault if she experiences further abuse in the future rose by four percentage points.

2.41 It may be that the Dolls House advert has fuelled these changes, perhaps implying to some that a woman who stays with an abusive partner is in some way responsible for any affect on her children, particularly as in the current campaign the abused mother is not seen to take any action in the advert.

2.42 Following a dip between Waves 8 and 9, the level of agreement that sometimes women can have a good reason for hitting their partner remained fairly consistent (at 19% at Wave 11). However, a gender gap has remained evident and the idea that sometimes men can have a good reason for hitting their partner was considered even less acceptable (only 9% agreeing).

2.43 As was seen at previous waves, those who were aware of having seen the advertising campaign held stronger attitudes on the subject of domestic abuse, compared to those who had not seen any advertising. Results can be found in Figure 2.5. This indicates that the advertising campaign is contributing to these views. For example, those who have seen/heard advertising were significantly more likely to agree that domestic abuse of one partner by another is a common occurrence in Scotland (0.84 versus 0.43), psychological or mental abuse where one partner controls, threatens or intimidates the other is just as bad as actual physical abuse (1.7 versus 1.15), anyone who hits their partner should be treated with contempt (1.37 versus 1.05), and significantly more likely to disagree that its okay to hit your partner once in a while (-1.83 versus -1.58) and sometimes men can have a good reason for hitting their partner (-1.56 versus -1.29).

Figure 2.7: Attitudes towards Domestic abuse (2)

Base: All respondents (Wave 9 - 1032; Wave 10 - 1008; Wave 11 - 1012)

2.44 Although there was no significant difference in response between those who have seen/heard the advertising and those who have not, disagreement strengthened over time that domestic abuse between adults doesn't really affect children in the household - the main message of the current campaign. Between Wave 10 and 11, the level of those saying they disagreed strongly had risen significantly from 86% to 90%.

Additional Questions

2.45 An additional set of questions was added to the tracking questionnaire at Wave 9 to investigate perceptions of the public in relation to wider forms of violence against and exploitation of women, which were new secondary research aims in 2006. Due to the sensitive nature of these questions, respondents aged 16-17 were excluded and the section was administered on a self-completion basis.

2.46 The first measure asked all respondents 18+ whether they regarded prostitution or pornography as exploitation of women. The results are shown in Figure 2.8.

Figure 2.8: Whether regard pornography or prostitution is exploitation of women

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (2006:1008, 2007:992, 2008:986)

2.47 The majority of respondents thought that pornography (62% at Wave 11) and prostitution (68% at Wave 11) were exploitative of women. There is a gradual trend towards both pornography and prostitution increasing in terms of being considered exploitation of women.

2.48 There were notable demographic differences in opinion towards pornography. As at Waves 9 and 10, females (66%) were significantly more likely to regard this as exploitative than men (58%) and those aged 35+ were significantly more likely to regard pornography as exploitative than those aged 18-34 (67% compared to 46%). However, these differences have narrowed since Wave 10, with males and younger age groups now more likely to think pornography was exploitative than they did at previous waves.

2.49 Differences in opinion by demographics were less marked for prostitution, although 25-34s were least strong in their views on prostitution as exploitation of women (60%), and 55-64s held the strongest opinion overall (76%).

2.50 The second measure concerned three actions that could be seen as exploitation or violence against women. All respondents aged 18+ were asked how acceptable or unacceptable they thought each action was. The results are shown in Figure 2.9-2.11.

Figure 2.9: Level of acceptability of pressuring a woman to take part in sexual activities if she says she doesn't want to

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (2006:1008, 2007:992, 2008:986)

2.51 Pressuring a woman to take part in sexual activities if she says she doesn't want to was the least accepted action of the three, with more than four in five (83%) saying that this was totally unacceptable and a further 12% that it was unacceptable; the mean score ⁷ of -1.71 reflected this. The increasingly negative mean score over the last three waves indicates that pressuring a woman to take part in sexual activities if she says she doesn't want to is becoming even less acceptable. The proportion of men saying that pressuring a woman to take part in sexual activities if she says she doesn't want to is totally unacceptable (79%) is slightly lower than the proportion of women (86%).

Figure 2.10: Level of acceptability of paying someone for sex

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (2006:1008, 2007:992, 2008:986)

2.52 The remaining two actions included higher numbers of respondents who were either undecided or thought that these actions were acceptable. Thus whilst seven in ten (70%) said paying someone for sex was unacceptable, 19% were undecided, and 10% thought it was acceptable. The mean score for this activity was -1.05 - a trend towards paying someone for sex becoming less acceptable than at Wave 9. At Wave 11, almost half (47%) said that paying someone for sex was totally unacceptable - a significant rise since Wave 10, indicating that opinion is strengthening. As at Wave 10, the 45-54 age group were most likely to think that paying someone for sex was acceptable (13%).

Figure 2.11: Level of acceptability of purchasing or viewing pornographic materials

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (2006:1008, 2007:992, 2008:986)

2.53 Just over six in ten (63%) thought purchasing or viewing pornographic materials was unacceptable, with around a fifth (22%) undecided and 16% thinking it was acceptable. The mean score in this case of -0.84 made purchasing or viewing pornographic materials the most accepted of the three actions. However as this has risen from -0.66 at Wave 9, this indicates that it is becoming a less accepted activity. More specifically, fewer people were undecided about this measure than they were at Waves 9 and 10, and significantly more people think thought purchasing or viewing pornographic materials was totally unacceptable.

2.54 Demographic differences in opinion continued to exist for purchasing or viewing pornographic materials. Males (20%) were more likely than females (11%) to view this as acceptable, and similarly the younger age groups were also more likely to view this as acceptable (30% of those aged 18-24, and 26% of those aged 25-34).

2.55 A new question was added at Wave 10 to explore attitudes towards rape, and how responsible respondents felt a woman was for being raped in various circumstances. The results are shown in Figure 2.12.

Figure 2.12: Level of responsibility for rape by circumstance

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (2007:992, 2008:986)

2.56 A clear majority of respondents felt very strongly that women were not responsible for rape in any circumstances, with 71% feeling that a woman was not responsible if she is flirting, 75% not at all responsible if she is drunk, 73% not at all responsible if she is dressed in revealing clothing and 85% not at all responsible if she is known to have had many sexual partners. In all cases, these levels have remained stable or risen slightly since the last wave. In each case, only 5% felt that a woman was totally or mostly responsible, and for the first three circumstances around one in five thought a woman was partly responsible for being raped.

2.57 At the last wave, men were more likely than women to think a woman was in any way responsible for being raped. However at Wave 11 the only noticeable gender difference was if she is known to have had many sexual partners where women (18%) were more likely than men (12%) to say she is at least partly responsible.

Figure 2.13: Level of responsibility for rape by age

Base: All respondents aged 18+ (986)

2.58 At Wave 11, the oldest age groups remained the group most likely to think a woman was at all responsible for rape for each circumstance. However at this wave there was much stronger feeling that a woman may be responsible for rape amongst the youngest age groups, as opposed to those in the middle age bands.

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