Rape Myth Acceptance and Attribution of Rape Blame: An Empirical Study across Stranger and Acquaintance Rape Scenarios

Abstract

Rape myths and blame attribution represent central psychological factors that sustain rape culture globally. The present research explored how acceptance of rape myths relates to assigning blame toward victim and perpetrator in both acquaintance and stranger rape contexts. Data were collected from 800 participants (400 men and 400 women) distributed across four age groups. They completed measures of rape myth acceptance, encompassing four dimensions (“She asked for it,” “He didn’t mean to,” “It was not really rape,” and “She lied”), along with attribution of blame scales. Correlational analyses were conducted for the overall sample as well as by gender and age categories. Findings indicated that stronger rejection of rape myths was consistently linked to reduced victim-blaming and increased perpetrator responsibility, or the reverse. Compared to men, women demonstrated stronger links between myth rejection and blame attributions, while younger participants showed higher correlations than older ones. These outcomes emphasize how rape myth acceptance or rejection shapes judgments in sexual assault cases and stress the importance of designing interventions that are both gender-responsive and age-specific.