Education, Gender, Residence, and Attitude toward Intimate Partner Violence: An Empirical Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although research on attitudes of the general public toward intimate partner violence (IPV) has proliferated in recent years, studies on the relationships among factors associated with attitude toward IPV are rare. Using a convenience sample of 3,474 Chinese college freshmen, the survey explored students’ attitudes toward IPV and focused mainly on the relationships among education, gender, and attitude toward IPV, as well as education, domicile, and attitude toward IPV. The findings showed that physical aggression and sexual assault were condemned, but psychological abuses were not considered abuse. It was found that freshman who graduated from a rural primary school was more likely to endorse IPV than those who graduated from an urban primary school and that rural high school graduates were more likely to justify IPV than urban high school graduates; these findings indicate that rural residence may have increased IPV acceptance and muted the protective effects of higher education on attitude toward IPV. Therefore, the administration should pay more attention to improve the educational status of women and rural dwellers.