Perpetrator likeability and tactics influence accountability in cancel culture

In a recent study published in Sex Roles, researchers examined how a perpetrator’s likeability and the type of tactic used in a sexual assault—whether coercion or force—affect public perceptions of blame and accountability.

The #MeToo movement has drawn attention to the issue of sexual violence, particularly by high-profile individuals, but accountability for perpetrators remains inconsistent. Studies have shown that perpetrators’ characteristics, such as likeability, may shield them from full accountability.

Previous research has established that likeable individuals, especially in public or professional settings, are often perceived more positively and are less likely to be blamed for misconduct. Tessa R. Graf and Laurel B. Watson’s study builds on this by testing whether this trend extends to cases of sexual assault and whether the specific tactic (coercion or force) used by the perpetrator also plays a role in shaping these perceptions.

The study involved 278 participants recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific platforms. Participants were mostly White, cisgender, heterosexual women with a significant proportion having completed at least some college education.

Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six vignettes, each depicting a sexual assault scenario between two acquaintances. The vignettes varied in two key ways: the likeability of the perpetrator (either described as likeable, neutral, or unlikeable) and the tactic used in the assault (either coercion or force).

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For example, in the coercion condition, the scenario described the perpetrator pressuring the survivor into performing sexual acts through non-physical means, whereas in the force condition, the perpetrator physically forced the survivor into submission. Participants were asked to imagine the scenario and then completed a series of questions assessing their perceptions of both the perpetrator and the survivor.

The survey included measures of perpetrator and survivor blame, as well as how much accountability the perpetrator should face in their personal, professional, and legal lives. These measures were designed to capture participants’ judgments about the incident, including whether they thought the perpetrator should face legal repercussions or public shaming, and to what extent they believed the survivor was responsible for what happened.

The researchers found that both the likeability of the perpetrator and the tactic used influenced participants’ perceptions of blame and accountability. Perpetrators who were described as likeable received significantly less blame for the assault, while survivors in these scenarios were more likely to be blamed by the participants.

Conversely, unlikeable perpetrators were more heavily blamed for the assault, and participants showed greater support for holding these individuals accountable both personally and professionally. This suggests that likeability acts as a protective factor for perpetrators, even in cases of sexual assault.

The type of tactic used in the assault also influenced participants’ judgments. Perpetrators who used coercion were viewed more leniently than those who used force. Not only were coercive perpetrators assigned less blame, but the survivors in these scenarios were also blamed more compared to survivors in the force scenarios.

No significant interaction was found between likeability and tactic, indicating that these factors operate independently in shaping perceptions of blame and accountability.

These results underscore the complexities of public perceptions regarding sexual assault and reveal how biases related to personality and behavior can diminish calls for justice.

One limitation is the reliance on vignettes to represent complex, real-world scenarios, which may not fully capture the nuances of actual experiences of sexual assault.

The study, “Who Gets Canceled for Sexual Assault?: The Roles of Likeability and Tactic on Perceived Perpetrator Accountability”, was authored by Tessa R. Graf and Laurel B. Watson.