Victim age (adult vs. child) did not significantly affect public perceptions in this vignette experiment, contrary to prior findings¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i1small
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
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q3 i1 The main effect of victim age on the six perception measures was not statistically significant, despite a small-to-medium multivariate effect size. → Robles Chella 2026
Evidence¶
Robles Chella 2026¶
Robles Chella, Cheema Harleen, Buro Karen, Jung Sandy. (2026). Changing Language May Not Be Enough to Change Public Perceptions of Individuals Who Sexually Offend. Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, and Prevention. https://doi.org/10.5964/sotrap.17345
q3 · i1 · causal · r2
In the same crowdsourced vignette experiment, the first MANOVA's victim-age main effect was non-significant: "F(6,207) = 1.993, p = .068", partial η2 = .055. The authors note prior studies did find child-victim cases viewed more negatively, and suggest their manipulation may have been less salient.
"the victim age, F(6,207) = 1.993, p = .068; Pillai’s Trace = .055, partial η2 = .055, or their interaction, F(18,627) = .085, p = .435"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- The interaction of label type and victim age did not significantly affect public perceptions of individuals who sexually offend — related
- The type of label used (person-first, 'sex offender', diagnostic, or offence-specific) does not significantly affect public perceptions of individuals who sexually offend — related
- Prior evidence on whether labels change public perceptions of people with sexual offences is mixed, with some studies finding label effects and others finding none — related
- Label type, victim age, and their interaction showed no significant effects on treatment amenability subscales (capacity to change, treatment ineffectiveness, incapacitation) — related
- Perception measures of social distance, treatment amenability, perceived recidivism, and sentencing severity are mostly significantly intercorrelated — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
victim-age-no-effect-perceptions-vignette |
title |
Victim age (adult vs. child) did not significantly affect public perceptions in this vignette experiment, contrary to prior findings |
description |
Victim age (adult vs. |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2026 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-09-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — robles-chella-2026 |
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