1 in 3 Polled Say They’ve Seen Women Being Beaten

More than one of every three Americans say they have witnessed a man beating his wife or girlfriend, and 14% of the women say it has happened to them, according to a nationwide survey on domestic violence released Monday.

The poll, conducted for the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund, found that 34% of those surveyed, both men and women, have seen such incidents, far more than the 19% who have ever witnessed a robbery or mugging.

Esta Soler, executive director of the fund, said the study, made public at a House hearing and news conference Friday, was the first comprehensive nationwide telephone survey on family violence and was based on a national sampling last April of 500 men and 500 women aged 18 or older. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.

It was not clear, however, whether the violence is rising or more people are being asked about it and reporting it or both. “Prior to 1980, nobody kept any statistics (on domestic violence),” Soler said. Before 1989, she added, only 10 questions had ever been asked about the problem by any nationally recognized polling firm.

But now “the overwhelming majority (87%) of Americans say that the beating of women by their husbands or boyfriends is a serious problem,” Soler said. “More women are seriously injured by beatings than by car accidents, muggings and rape combined.”

The research, conducted by EDK Associates, a New York-based public opinion research firm, with a grant from the Ford Foundation, found that 44% believe a man will beat a woman badly when they have a fight. (Nineteen percent say this happens “often” and 25% say “sometimes.” Sixteen percent say the woman will beat the man badly (5% say this happens “often” and 11% “sometimes.”)

Eighty-one percent said they thought something could be done to end violence against women. But of these, 26% said they didn’t know what, 22% said “more counseling,” 15% said “teach kids in school” and 9% said “stronger laws.”

Seven percent said “women should become less emotionally and economically dependent on men”; 6% said “change society”; 5% called for “more arrests”; 4% said “reduce violence in media/change TV”; and 3% favored “more respect” for women.