Keywords
Sex offenders
Social dominance orientation
Punitivity
How to Cite
Abstract
Social attitudes towards sex offenders are subject to the influence of myths or prejudices and offending can be seen as an attack on social hierarchy. The present study relates both constructs: public attitudes and the preference for maintaining a hierarchical society, i.e. social dominance orientation. 322 subjects participated, chosen by a non-probabilistic selection, with ages between 18 and 65 years (M = 32.52, SD = 13.806), to whom scales on attitudes towards sexual offenders and their treatment (ATS-21 and ATTSO) were applied, as well as on social dominance (SDO). People with higher social dominance orientation have more negative attitudes towards sex offenders and their treatment. Men, people with a right-wing political affiliation and religious people score higher on social dominance. These last two groups of people also have the most negative attitudes towards sex offenders, along with women, people with a low level of education and those over 30 years of age. Findings may explain why people may or may not be advocates for the rehabilitation and reintegration of sex offenders depending on certain socio-demographic characteristics and their level of social dominance.
References
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