University Students' Perceptions of Stalking Threat: The Role of Gender and Relationship Type

Perceived threat regarding stalking behaviours stems from stalking stereotypes involving gendered dyads, often with men as the perpetrators and women as victims. As limited research has examined threat perceptions that deviate from this dyad, the present study investigated whether same-gender and non-binary stalking dyads are perceived as less threatening than man-to-woman dyads. University students ( N = 243) completed a vignette survey manipulating perpetrator gender, victim gender and relationship type. Quantitative analyses revealed that perpetrator gender and relationship type affected perceived threat, with victim gender only being significant when interacting with the perpetrator's gender. Men perpetrators categorized as strangers were rated with the highest perceived threat compared to all other dyads. The study's findings suggest that gender identification and relationship type impact perceptions of stalking threat. As our understanding of gender diversity expands, the legal system must evolve by investigating a variety of perpetrators and relationships to better support responses to stalking to avoid further harm to victims outside of man-to-woman stalking dyads.