Do popular attitudinal scales perpetuate negative attitudes towards persons who have sexually offended?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Stigma directed towards persons with convictions for sexual offences and its potentially risk enhancing effects has prompted a growing body of research on public attitudes towards individuals who have sexually offended, including attitude measurement. However, many questions in attitudinal scales use the “sex offender” label, which potentially perpetuates stigma. The current study, which was part of a larger study examining effects of offence-based labels, sought to examine whether responses on an attitudinal scale would differ when person-first language was used instead of the “sex offender” label. Participants (N = 372) were randomly assigned to a label condition or person-first language condition and completed an anonymous online survey that included a popular attitudinal scale. A small, significant effect of labelling was observed: offence-based labels were associated with more negative attitudes than neutral descriptors. Implications for future research are discussed. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT The current study found that the “sex offender” label was associated with more negative attitudes toward individuals who have sexually offended compared to neutral, person-first language (e.g. “people who have committed crimes of a sexual nature”). Replacing stigmatising labels with person-first language in research and in practice is an important step towards humanising people who have offended and supporting them to live safe, productive, prosocial lives. In research, using person-first language may help improve validity of attitude measurement and remove the possibility of inadvertently reinforcing the very stereotypes researchers seek to address.