An Experimental Analysis of Public Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Türkiye

This study examines public attitudes towards a particular form of intimate partner violence (i.e., homicide) in the Turkish context, characterized by strong patriarchal values and widespread gender-based violence. The study raises the following questions: How do people react to gender-based violence? To what extent and how does the gender of the offender shape public attitudes towards intimate partner homicide? More specifically, do patriarchal values lead to favorable attitudes towards the male offender? To address such questions, this study utilizes original experimental data, derived from an online survey experiment with university students (N=425) and a population-based survey experiment with a nationwide sample (N=7240). The study revealed some unexpected findings: a relatively more favorable attitude towards the female offender, which was also observed among male participants. However, further empirical analyses confirm that participants’ patriarchal values and orientations do shape their attitudes towards intimate partner violence.