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Executive summary
This report completes the third phase of the three-phase project on domestic violence (DV) in Wagga Wagga.
Phase one
Research – first Community Attitudes Survey was conducted by Wagga Women’s Health Centre in 2016, to understand domestic violence in Wagga Wagga.
Phase two
Strategic Planning. Strategy paper was developed outlining a best model prevention approach.
Phase three
Interventions – theDVproject:2650 (prevention activities rolled out).
It documents the findings from the 2021 Community Attitudes to Domestic Violence Survey to identify any shifts in attitudes and beliefs, and recognition of gender drivers of DV from 2016, following implementation of Primary Prevention program (theDVproject:2650) for the Wagga Wagga community. The implications for policy and practice for Wagga Wagga are also presented.
The online survey was modified from the 2016 Community Attitudes to Domestic Violence Survey that was originally sourced from the National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women survey (NCAS). The results of the 2021 Community Attitudes to Domestic Violence Survey are benchmarked against the 2016 Community Attitudes to Domestic Violence Survey results for the city of Wagga Wagga.
This survey investigated four key areas related to violence against women to which domestic violence is the biggest contributor:
• Community knowledge of domestic violence. • Attitudes towards domestic violence. • Attitudes towards gender roles and intimate relationships. • Responses to witnessing domestic violence and knowledge of resources.
A total of 1,033 Wagga Wagga residents over the age of 18 years, completed the 2021 Community Attitudes towards domestic violence survey. In combination with using a sample of convenience, participation of the survey was voluntary and as such respondents self-selected into the study. A sample of convenience and self-selection can lead to a misrepresentative sample, in terms of demographic factors including age, gender, ethnicity, education, employment status and income. To enhance the representativeness of the current sample, post-stratification weighting was based on age and gender. Responses were analysed based on sociodemographic characteristics. Findings indicate similarities and differences between the 2021 Community Attitudes survey against the 2016 Community Attitudes survey data.
Knowledge and understanding of domestic violence
In addressing domestic violence in communities, recognising behaviours that constitute violence is essential to initiate and encourage ongoing community engagement to address the issue (Wagga Women's Health Centre (WWHC), 2017).
• From 2016 to 2021, knowledge of what behaviours constitute domestic violence has improved for three of the nine domestic violence behaviours: controlling social life (1.6 times), denying access to money (1.6 times), and tracking a partner (1.7 times). • The increased knowledge of domestic violence from 2016 to 2021 resulted in 8 of the 9 behaviours receiving acknowledgement above 90%, compared to only 5 of the 9 behaviours in 2016.
Attitudes towards domestic violence
Minimising and trivialising the impact of domestic violence can be harmful for those experiencing domestic violence (Winstok & Straus, 2011). This also impacts on the effectiveness of any primary prevention activities aiming at reducing instances of domestic violence in the community (Gondolf, 1998). Minimising or trivialising the impact of DV was often reflected in the perception of severity of DV abuse.
• The rates of agreement on the seriousness of each of the behaviours of domestic violence for Wagga
Wagga community have stayed consistently high from 2016 to 2021. • However, there was a positive shift in awareness (1.6 times more) of the seriousness of some complex DV behaviours such as controlling access to money, as compared to 2016.
The levels of justifications of DV in relationships dropped from 2016 to 2021 among the residents in the Wagga Wagga community.
• For 2021, justification was mainly for a partner to get access to their children, while in 2016 it was that their partner had sex with someone else. • In both 2021 and 2016, residents least supported justifications of partner is ending or trying to end a relationship.
Beliefs on who the main perpetrator of violence is, in terms of gender, has remained consistent between 2016 and 2021.
• In both 2016 and 2021 residents overwhelming state that men or mostly men are the perpetrators of domestic violence.
The understanding of why women stay in domestic violent relationships has not changed in the past 5 years in Wagga Wagga.
• Residents understand that there is a myriad of reasons why women stay or have to stay in abusive relationships, for instance out of safety from further violence.
Highly encouraging is the significantly positive shift in the understanding of the main cause of domestic violence from 2016 to 2021 that alludes to a shift in perceptions for the benefit of the community.
• In 2021, residents state that the main cause of domestic violence is men were not able to manage anger (3.8 times more) over men being under stress than residents in 2016. • Also, of significance is an increased recognition (2.6 times more) that domestic violence was a means of maintaining power and control than men being under stress. • This pattern of responding for the 2021 respondents compared to 2016 highlights the positive shift of prevention efforts about domestic violence contributing factors. • In comparison to 2016, residents have an increased realisation (2.8 times more) that rape can exist in sexual relationships.
Generally, the 2021 survey indicated that there is a reasonably high level of awareness on the prevalence of domestic violence in the Wagga Wagga community, even though this awareness has dropped in comparison to 2016. This can be explained by the drop (6.3 times) in recognising domestic violence as a criminal offence for residents in 2021.
Furthermore, attitudes towards trivialising domestic violence among the Wagga Wagga residents were not impacted by gender, age, ethnicity, education, employment status, and income.
• A significant improvement was noted on negative attitudes of women being able to leave violent relationships and making up domestic violence for custody battles. • This demonstrates that attitudes that trivialise domestic violence are on the decline, however, work still needs to continue in the prevention of domestic violence to eradicate these attitudes completely.
Attitudes towards gender roles and power dynamics
Encouragingly in 2021 only a small percentage of the community agreed with the statements that reinforce gender roles, with all statements receiving less than 10% of agreement, compared to 2016, indicating a significant shift to more egalitarian attitudes.
• Reductions in the reinforcement of gender roles was significant across all statements that ask about gender roles. • In 2016, residents in the Wagga Wagga community were more likely to agree that men make better leaders, that men have more right to a job, and that women need children to be fulfilled, than residents in 2021. • Residents in 2016 were also more likely to agree university is more important to boys, and that discrimination against women is not a problem in the workplace than they do in 2021.
In addition, from 2016 to 2021 the power dynamics in relationships has had a significant positive change among the residents in Wagga Wagga.
• Residents in 2021 were less likely to agree it is natural for men to be in control/head of the household, women prefer a man to be in charge than residents in 2016. • As such, there has been a significant positive improvement of more power equality in relationships among the Wagga Wagga community.
The residents’ reactions to witnessing domestic violence, and if they would intervene and how, remained consistent from 2016 to 2021.
• As such, the intervention strategies that residents were using after/while witnessing domestic violence were the same in both years. • The 2021 survey indicates more residents were likely to either say or do something (7 in 10), such as call the police, if they witness an incident of domestic violence, rather than doing nothing.
Engagement with theDVproject:2650 campaigns/interventions on DV
There were number of campaigns developed by theDVproject:2650 geared towards prevention of domestic and family violence (please see the summary of theDVproject:2650 prevention section for more details). According to 2021 survey findings, the reach of theDVproject:2650 campaigns was limited for the survey sample, with the most engagement coming from the Reflect Respect Campaign, where approximately a quarter of the sample had seen the campaign. This could be explained by the nature of the campaigns (being visual campaigns rather than requiring a direct participation) TV, radio and social media advertising and advertising on buses and taxis. It is also possible that some residents did not associate these visual campaigns with the specific campaign title, such as Reflect Respect etc.
• All sociodemographic groups had similar exposure to the Reflect Respect campaign. • Exposure to the We Do Respect campaign differed as the campaign has been launched with the business community, with the TV campaign commencing after the survey roll out. • Residents with a university education, and those employed were more likely to have seen/heard of/participated in the 16 Days of Activism campaign than residents who studied at high school. This once again could be explained by the nature of the campaign, primarily promoted through Council’s media channels, and partnering organisations. • Those aged 25 to 39 were more likely to have seen and heard of the Enlighten for Equity project than those aged over 55. Noting the survey is completed by over 18+ and the actual project was a school-based project for 10-17 years old. • Males were also more likely to be exposed to the eLearning and Voice Against Violence program either through seeing, hearing of, or participating in the program than females. • For the Wiradjuri and First Nations Youth project, exposure differed for age-groups, ethnicity, education, and income with those aged between 25-55, ATSI residents, TAFE/university educated and those with lower income level being more likely to have been exposed to it. • Overall, it was encouraging that over the last 12 months, residents were more likely to have engaged in taking prevention actions against domestic violence in the forms of engaging in conversation about domestic violence and calling out inappropriate attitudes/behaviours; exactly what the above listed campaigns were aiming to achieve (starting a conversation and being an active bystander).
Conclusion
The patterns of responding for the 2021 respondents compared to 2016 highlights the need to provide information to the community on the contributing factors that lead to engaging in domestic violence behaviours, so they can be addressed to prevent future incidents of domestic violence. The increased awareness around rape in relationships could be resultant from the efforts Australia-wide into women’s rights that accumulated in marches for women in all states of Australia. Overall, there was a better understanding that rape does exist in sexual relationships although there is some continued need to enable residents to recognise domestic violence as being a criminal offence by law. The significant decrease in perception of prevalence of domestic violence could reflect an actual reduction in domestic violence in the Wagga Wagga community or a decreased awareness among 2021 survey participants.
Further education and awareness focusing on underpinning stereotypical attitudes and lack of knowledge and understanding of the nature and dynamics of domestic violence is still required.
Access to appropriate and relevant education and training that challenges such views and enables individuals to become more informed. Extensive workforce development and development of education and training has been recommended strongly by all the major recent enquiries and reports into domestic violence. It is understandable that reform efforts are concentrated on ensuring there are sufficient support services for victims and accountability mechanisms for perpetrators. However, in order for the service system to be transformed, preventative community and workforce attitudes, understanding and capabilities must be prioritised.
In closing, this report illustrated some shifts in domestic violence attitudes and not in others compared to 2016. The information available in this report is useful to recognise the areas where prevention efforts towards domestic violence in the Wagga Wagga community is still needed. There would also be some benefit from directing interventions specifically to young people under 24 years and people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and new migrants and refugees, however further prevention approaches will need to also address determinants of attitudes and of domestic violence at the level of community, organisations and society, particularly those parts of the community that theDVproject:2650 has not reached out to. An unequivocal recommendation that emerged is the influence of social contexts and thus prevention efforts should be geared to addressing factors that influence attitude formation. This will ensure effectiveness in systems, services, and decision-makers in creating stronger protection for victims of domestic violence.
