Public perceptions of paedophile hunters: Effects of dehumanisation, attribution of blame and moral disengagement

Key digested message The fascination with sex offenders and paedophiles is not new, nor is the widespread concern about potential threats lurking in parks or online chatrooms. The phenomenon of ‘paedophile hunters’ is well known in the UK, Europe, and the US. These groups use tactics to publicly expose online groomers and sex offenders. While research has explored the impact of such groups on the criminal justice system and its practitioners, little attention has been paid to public perceptions of paedophile hunters and the potential effects of dehumanisation associated with their actions. This exploratory study used an online quantitative design involving the D3-Short, Basic Empathy Scale, Moral Disengagement Measure, vignettes, and related questions. Spearman’s rho correlations and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed. Several significant correlations were found between scale scores and vignette responses. These findings suggest important avenues for further investigation into the psychological and societal impacts of this controversial phenomenon.