Australian Community Perceptions and Attitudes of Child Sex Offender Interventions: An Analysis of Media Articles

This thesis explores perceptions and attitudes of the Australian community on child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention through an analysis of Australian media articles. Through an inductive thematic analysis, three main concepts emerged as dominant perceptions presented by Australian media. Whilst the findings demonstrate a lack of consensus on effective CSA prevention strategies, attitudes towards more punitive actions were most strongly supported. Law enforcement was presented as highly successful at preventing CSA, while community awareness and education was also a heavily discussed and well-supported. The application of media theories to media perceptions of CSA suggest that perceptions of the Australian community are likely to reflect or in some way be influenced by the media. Implications of the relationship between public perceptions and the media in the context of the findings are discussed through the theoretical insights of Labelling Theory.