Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Media Campaign Illustrating the Bystander Role

SUMMARY

Recent research found that training men and women to understand the role of bystanders in situations where violence against women (VAW) is occurring may reduce the incidence of VAW (Moynihan & Banyard, 2004). Therefore a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of the prosocial role of bystanders in reducing VAW was developed and implemented. The current article discusses the role of media campaigns in addressing public health issues and describes the initial development, implementation, and evaluation of a media campaign focused on the bystander role in reducing the incidence of VAW. Conclusions and future directions of this exploratory project are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Campus population
• evaluation
• media campaign
• pilot study

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This project was supported by grant No. 2003-WA-BX-0011 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of View of this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sharyn J. Potter

Sharyn J. Potter PhD, MPH, is Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire.

Jane G. Stapleton

Jane G. Stapleton, MA, is Research Instructor, Women's Studies Program, University of New Hampshire.

Mary M. Moynihan

Mary M. Moynihan, PhD, is Research Associate Professor, Women's Studies Program, University of New Hampshire.