Abstract

This study examined the impact of alcohol consumption by perpetrators and victims on blaming judgments and investigated whether these effects differ between rape and assault cases. A total of 160 adults aged 19 and older participated in a 2(perpetrator’s alcohol consumption: yes vs. no) x 2(victim’s alcohol consumption: yes vs. no) x 2(crime type: rape vs. assault) mixed-design experiment. They were presented with rape and assault scenarios with systematically varied perpetrator and victim alcohol consumption information. Participants then evaluated the levels of responsibility, blame, fault, control, criminal liability, and compensation for both the perpetrator and the victim, on 7-point Likert scales. The results revealed a significant difference in victim-blaming judgments depending on the victim’s alcohol consumption. Participants attributed greater responsibility, fault, and blame to victims who consumed alcohol compared to those who did not. Additionally, an interaction effect between crime type and victim intoxication was observed in compensation judgments. In rape cases, victims who had consumed alcohol were assigned lower compensation from the perpetrator than sober victims, whereas no significant difference in compensation was found in assault cases. These findings suggest that victim intoxication may amplify victim-blaming in sexual violence cases, but not in assault cases. Based on these results, the mechanisms underlying the impact of alcohol consumption on responsibility and blame judgments were discussed.