Who gets cancelled for sexual assault? Perceptions of accountability for likeable perpetrators who use coercion
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Abstract
The #MeToo movement and social media have increased public awareness of sexual violence, particularly when committed by high-profile celebrities. We are presently within a unique sociocultural space, often referred to as “cancel culture,” in which perpetrators of sexual violence may face increased accountability. However, the effects of cancel culture do not appear to be applied equally to perpetrators. The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of perpetrator likeability and tactic (i.e., force and coercion) on the degree to which perpetrators are “canceled” (i.e., held accountable through personal, professional, and legal consequences). Among a sample of 238 participants, results of this experimental study revealed that perpetrators viewed as likeable or neutral received less blame and accountability compared to those who were unlikeable, with the survivors in the likeable and neutral scenarios receiving greater blame. Moreover, perpetrators who used coercion were less likely than those who used force to receive blame and accountability, with the survivors in the coercive scenarios receiving greater blame. No interaction effects emerged between likeability and tactic, suggesting that the main effects operate independently of one another. Though the #MeToo movement and cancel culture have created cultural change in the United States, the findings from this study imply that perpetrators continue to be held less accountable, so long as they are not unlikeable and do not use force.
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Introduction -- Manuscript -- Method -- Results -- Discussion -- Appendix
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Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)