Legal Dramas Representation of Sexual Violence, Audience Engagement and Violence Prevention: a Survey Analysis
Description
Legal Dramas Representation of Sexual Violence, Audience Engagement and Violence Prevention: a Survey Analysis (paper under review), by Dacia Pajé and M. Driessen. Presented at the Violence Prevention Research Conference, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 2026.
Abstract:
Purpose
Legal dramas shape public understandings of sexual violence and justice. This study examines how audiences interpret televised representations of sexual violence and how they shape sexual violence and beliefs relevant to violence prevention and public accountability.
Method
We used a mixed methods design combining a survey of adults (N=163) with five semi-structured focus groups (n=18). Survey measures assessed favorability toward televised representations of sexual violence and TV consumption patterns. Qualitative data included open-ended survey responses and focus groups in which participants viewed and discussed an episode of the legal drama The Good Fight.
Results
TV viewership most strongly predicted attitudes toward televised portrayals. More frequent viewing of crime and legal dramas was associated with more favorable evaluations. Similarly, greater perceived exposure to sexual assault content predicted more favorable evaluations. Forty-five percent of respondents watched crime or legal dramas often or very often, and 42% reported seeing sexual assault content on television often or frequently. Although 55% indicated that such content often or always bothers them, 82% reported discussing it with others at least rarely after viewing. Qualitative data analysis revealed critiques of unrealistic justice outcomes, narrow victim-survivor stereotypes, consent ambiguity, and the lack of long-term trauma discussions, alongside recognition of television’s potential to foster awareness, dialogue, and education.
Conclusions
Audiences actively negotiate and critique legal drama narratives rather than passively absorbing them. Popular legal dramas function as contested sites within violence prevention, capable of both reinforcing myths and fostering critical media literacy. Integrating audience research into violence prevention frameworks can inform trauma-informed media practices, public education, and policy on relevant conversations about sexual violence and justice.
Publication Date
7-2026
Type
Conference Proceeding
Language
English
