Contact: Rebecca Stewart
Telephone: 513-479-3335
Email: info@saveservices.org
#MeToo Excesses Have Turned the Tide of Public Opinion, Surveys Reveal
WASHINGTON / November 1, 2018 – Three recent surveys reveal the excesses of the #MeToo movement have increased public skepticism of sexual harassment accusers and rallied support for the accused. As a result, overall support for the grass-roots movement has ebbed. #MeToo was launched in October, 2017 after actress Alyssa Milano issued a tweet asking her followers to reply “me too” if they had been sexually harassed or assaulted.
The first survey, conducted by YouGov and the Economist, revealed 18% of Americans now think false accusations of sexual assault are a bigger problem than attacks that go unreported or unpunished, compared with 13% one year ago. “Surprisingly, these changes in opinion against victims have been slightly stronger among women than men,” the Economist noted (1).
Morning Consult did a second study that found 57% of U.S. adults say they are equally worried about men facing false allegations of sexual assault as they are about women facing sexual assault. Overall support for the #MeToo movement has dropped 2% over the last year, the survey found (2).
A third poll by NPR and Ipsos found 49% of Americans believe the #MeToo movement has gone too far. These persons cited the problem of accusations ruining persons’ careers, and the tendency for some to claim sexual “harassment” for behavior that doesn’t rise to that level. 79% said persons accused of such offenses should be afforded the benefit of the doubt (3).
These concerns are highlighted by the case of a 9-year-old boy who sent a note to a female student that said, “I like you. I like your hair because it is not sloppy. I like your eyes because they sparkle like diamonds.” The words were accompanied by a heart-shaped figure. The boy was sent to the principal’s office, and may face charges of sexual harassment (4).
SAVE emphasizes that workplaces should afford a safe environment for all persons, and complaints of sexual harassment should be taken seriously. The principles of fairness, due process, and the presumption of innocence should apply in such cases.
Citations:
- https://amp.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/10/15/after-a-year-of-metoo-american-opinion-has-shifted-against-victims?__twitter_impression=true#top
- https://morningconsult.com/2018/10/11/a-year-into-metoo-public-worried-about-false-allegations/
- https://www.npr.org/2018/10/31/662178315/on-metoo-americans-more-divided-by-party-than-gender?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=politics&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2059
- https://www.parenting.com/news-break/9-year-old-could-face-sexual-harassment-charge-love-note?fbclid=IwAR2no5jtboTL88TZt2ZKomotPbAuO0sPriwG3nE1ID5HzxF5Fw7LagmV0s0
SAVE — Stop Abusive and Violent Environments — is working for effective and fair solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org