Who should play a major role in responding to intimate partner violence? A comparison of Chinese and American college students' preferences

Using survey data collected from 639 students in a Chinese university and an American university, this study assesses students' preferences for private, parochial, and public responses to intimate partner violence (IPV). The results show that Chinese students are in favor of a parochial approach, whereas American students prefer a criminal justice intervention to IPV. Preferences for different responses to IPV are predicted by locality, respondents' attitudes toward gender roles, tolerance for violence, and awareness of IPV. Implications for policies and practices to handling IPV in both societies are offered.