Press Release: New national survey tracks attitudes to sexual violence in Ireland and highlights persistent barriers for survivors

Second annual Dublin Rape Crisis Centre study finds:

• Almost 2 in 5 men under 25 think victims are partly responsible for being raped if they were taking drugs or drinking alcohol
• Almost 1 in 5 people believe there are ‘a lot’ of false rape allegations
• Significant differences in attitudes between men under-25 and both men & women of all ages

30th September 2026, Dublin: Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has today published its second annual national study of attitudes towards, and experiences of, rape and sexual violence in Ireland. Carried out by Ipsos B&A and funded by Community Foundation Ireland, the research shows that attitudes which can contribute to survivors’ fear of coming forward remain widespread in Ireland, with some of the most concerning views particularly prevalent among young men.

For the second year running, fear of not being believed is the single biggest barrier the public identifies to survivors seeking support, cited by 82% of adults. The research suggests that this fear may be justified: One in five adults (19%) believe there are ‘a lot’ of false rape allegations made in Ireland. Only 56% say they would believe someone who told them they had been raped while drunk or taking drugs, down from 60% last year, while 35% do not know how they would react. Fewer than one in four (22%) believe victims of rape or sexual violence are treated fairly by the Irish justice system, and fewer than half (43%) think Ireland is a country where victims can speak openly about what happened to them. Among women, that falls to 38%.

Attitudes with consequences

These attitudes have direct consequences for survivors. Among those who have experienced rape, only 17% reported it to the Gardaí, 22% sought medical treatment and 28% sought counselling or other support. Two in five (41%) told only a friend or family member, and almost one in five (19%) told no one at all.

Survivors of sexual violence identify fear of not being believed (79%), a lack of trust in support services (63%) and fear of stigma (62%) as the main barriers to reporting or accessing support. Almost three in ten (28%) also point to the potential cost of services.

This echoes the CSO’s Sexual Violence Survey 2022, which found that women who never told anyone about sexual violence they experienced as an adult were more than twice as likely as men to say it was because they felt ashamed or embarrassed (36% vs 15%), and five times as likely to say they blamed themselves (16% vs 3%).

The research also points to uncertainty about how to respond to a disclosure. Asked what they would do if someone told them they had been raped while drunk or taking drugs, 23% of adults did not know, up from 19% in 2025. Among under-25s, 29% did not know, and only 41% would suggest counselling or a rape crisis centre, compared with 59% of adults overall.

Young men: a gulf in attitudes

Sceptical and victim-blaming attitudes are evident across the population, regardless of age or gender, at levels of 10% to 20%, but among men under 25 they are far more common. Almost half of young men (48%) believe there are ‘a lot’ of false rape allegations, compared with 19% of adults overall. A third say a rape should not be believed unless there is a guilty verdict in court (34%, vs 12% overall) or unless it has been reported to the Gardaí (31%, vs 12%). Two in five (40%) believe rape and sexual violence are exaggerated by the media (vs 15% overall), and 14% say they would doubt someone who told them they had been raped while drunk.

Victim-blaming follows the same pattern. Overall, 15% of adults believe a person who is raped while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is at least partially responsible. Among men under 25 this rises to 37%, and among women under 25 to 25%. By contrast, 88% of adults agree that a perpetrator who is under the influence should be held just as responsible as one who is not.

The widest gulf in the research is between young men and older women: 48% of men aged 18–24 believe there are many false rape allegations, compared with 8% of women aged 65 and over. On the view that someone who does not report to the Gardaí should not be believed, the gap among 18–24-year-olds is 31% of men against 2% of women.

Young men are also less likely than adults overall to agree that society should do more to recognise rape and sexual violence perpetrated against men (71%, vs 85% overall) or that assumptions about masculinity discourage male survivors from reporting (67%, vs 84%), even though both views are held by the large majority of adults.

Shifting perceptions

Several other perceptions have moved since 2025 in ways that concern Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The proportion who believe perpetrators are more likely to be someone the victim knows has fallen from 70% to 64%, and the proportion who think most incidents happen in the home has fallen from 58% to 52%. Among under-25s, only 25% think sexual violence most often takes place at home, more than a quarter (27%) pointing instead to bars and clubs. These shifts towards seeing sexual violence as random and stranger-led runs counter to the evidence that most perpetrators are known to their victims.

The proportion who believe media coverage has a positive effect on public attitudes has fallen from 76% to 70%.

Prevalence

Sexual violence remains widespread. Almost one in three adults (31%) say they have experienced some form of sexual violence, up from 28% in 2025, and 5% say they have experienced rape. Women are more than twice as likely as men to have experienced sexual violence (42% vs 20%), and more than three times as likely to have experienced sexual harassment (15% vs 4%). Almost half of adults (46%) know a friend, family member or colleague who has experienced sexual violence, and 48% suspect that someone they know has experienced it but not told them.

Women are more than four times more likely than men to feel personally at risk of sexual violence (28% vs 6%), and among women under 25 more than half (54%) feel at risk.

The findings underline the need for sustained prevention and education that challenges victim-blaming and misconceptions about sexual violence, while giving people the confidence and practical knowledge to respond appropriately when someone discloses. The findings among younger men point to the importance of engaging boys and young men around consent, masculinity and understanding the influences shaping their attitudes, including online.

Commenting on the results, Rachel Morrogh, CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said:

"It is extremely common for survivors to tell Dublin Rape Crisis Centre that they stayed silent because they were afraid that they would not be believed, that they felt it was their fault or that they were ashamed of what happened to them. This research is important because it shows yet again, that these fears of how others will respond are informing survivors’ behaviour and that harmful attitudes are the driving force behind that fear.

Some of the pervasive negative attitudes that survivors experience are held by sizable numbers of the population: one in five adults believe there are ‘a lot’ of false allegations made in Ireland, a third of young men say a rape should not be believed without a conviction, and 1 in 6 say rape and sexual violence is ‘often’ exaggerated by the media. These widely held attitudes discourage people from coming forward, they add to the harm survivors carry, and they are part of the reason perpetrators are so rarely held to account. Every survivor deserves to be believed and supported and it’s our hope that this research will help to highlight the paradox between the high rates of sexual violence and its false invisibility.

“The findings on young men are the most striking in the research and underscore the need for engagement, engagement and leadership given that lasting attitudes are shaped early. In early 2027, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre will be working on a new pilot programme to engage with young men on positive masculinity. We will work collaboratively with them to understand the root causes of their opinions and what interventions would help to give them a different worldview that is not so harmful to women and girls.

“Although there is much to be concerned about, there is also real cause for hope in these figures. Almost nine in ten people agree that a perpetrator who was drinking is just as responsible for acts of sexual violence as one who was not. The vast majority want society to do more for male survivors. Most people would believe a survivor and want to help; what many lack is the confidence to know what to do next. Our message to anyone who is told about sexual violence is simple: believe them, and let them know that free, confidential support is available any time on the 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline, 1800 778888.”

Deirdre Boyhan, survivor of sexual violence, said:

“The fear of not being believed and fear of stigma reported in this research is very real, and something that so many survivors still carry.

“Survivors should never have to carry the guilt or responsibility for what was done to them. That belongs with the perpetrator. If we want more people to come forward and seek support, we have to create a society where survivors can be confident that they will be believed, where victim-blaming is challenged, and where people know that what happened to them was not their fault.”

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland, added:

“This second year of research gives us something particularly valuable: the ability not only to understand attitudes towards sexual violence, but to begin tracking how those attitudes are changing over time.

“Evidence like this allows organisations, policymakers and communities to see where progress is being made and where sustained action is still required. Community Foundation Ireland is proud to support Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in developing an evidence base that can inform practical responses, strengthen supports for survivors and contribute to lasting social change.”

Cllr Daryl Barron, Lord Mayor of Dublin, said:

“It is deeply concerning that so many people who experience sexual violence remain afraid that they will not be believed or supported if they come forward. Everyone should be able to feel safe in our city and in our society, and those who experience sexual violence must know that support is available to them.

“These findings also underline the importance of challenging attitudes that blame or question victims. Building a safer society requires all of us to foster respect, understanding and a culture in which survivors can speak without fear of stigma or judgement.”

With this the second iteration of this research, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre hopes to secure funding to publish the study on an annual basis.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Survey results are based on a nationally representative sample of 1,036 adults aged 18+, quota controlled in terms of age, gender, socio-economic class and region to reflect the profile of the adult population of the Republic of Ireland.
• Fieldwork was conducted from 31st August to 11th September 2026.
• Results are compared to the previous wave, which was conducted between 6th and 17th February 2025.
• Findings for men aged 18–24 are based on a sub-sample of 42 respondents and should be treated as indicative. They are consistent with the pattern found in the 2025 wave.
• CSO figures are taken from Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Disclosure of Experiences (Central Statistics Office, July 2023), Table 4.3.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is a non-governmental, voluntary organisation which has as its mission to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of sexual violence. It offers a suite of services to victims and survivors of sexual violence, and campaigns to raise awareness of sexual violence and its impact in society as well as its prevention. It also offers a wide range of training and education to professionals and volunteers.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre operates the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 778888 to support anyone affected by sexual violence in any part of the country. A web chat support service is available online at drcc.ie Mon-Fri, 10 am-5pm and from 00:00-3:00 Tuesday and Wednesday. A Helpline Interpreting Service is available for those who do not speak English Mon-Fri, 8am-18:30, and every day 00:00-8:00- more at https://bit.ly/DRCClang https://www.drcc.ie/services/helpline/interpreting-service/

For those contacting the Helpline who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide a text service, operating Mon-Fri from 8 am to 6:30 pm, at 086-8238443 and we also have a webchat service available Monday-Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, except holidays.

We ask that when reporting on this topic, journalists should remember that discussions on sexual violence can trigger personal trauma in those receiving the information. Where possible, please refer to the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 77 8888 for anyone who may be affected by the report.

The research was funded by Community Foundation Ireland.