Social Norms for Intimate Partner Violence: A Replication With College Students

This study replicated prior research on college students’ perceived descriptive norms (i.e., prevalence estimates) for intimate partner violence (IPV). In this study, male and female college students were instructed to estimate the prevalence of physical forms of IPV for “typical students” of their same gender on campus. Perpetrators of IPV—both male and female—made higher estimates than nonperpetrators. When compared to actual prevalence rates, both perpetrators and nonperpetrators overestimated the prevalence of IPV on campus. Findings have implications for prevention programs that address social norms.