Shared Identity, Selective Sympathy: Evidence From a Survey Experiment on Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence.

Abstract

While present research investigates ingroup favoritism toward perpetrators of violence against women, few studies focus on how combinations of shared and unshared identity between respondents, perpetrators, and victims affect justice perceptions. Using a survey experiment with two domestic violence vignettes in Bangladesh (n = 698), this study introduces selective solidarity theory to evaluate how identity combinations influence retributive attitudes. Findings indicate reduced support for punishment when both parties share the respondent's religious identity and greater condemnation of religious outgroup perpetrators, highlighting the need for culturally grounded responses to group-based bias in justice.