The double standard of alcohol use refers to a phenomenon in which victims who consume alcohol are blamed more harshly, whereas perpetrators who consume alcohol are blamed less. This study empirically examined the existence of this double standard in sexual assault cases by investigating how alcohol consumption by the victim and the perpetrator, as well as the victim’s gender, influences blame attribution. A total of 136 adults aged 19 and older participated in an experiment where they were randomly assigned to read a sexual assault scenario systematically manipulated by three variables: victim alcohol consumption(yes vs. no), perpetrator alcohol consumption(yes vs. no), and victim gender(male vs. female). Participants then levels of blame, responsibility, controllability, and stability for both the victim and the perpetrator. The results revealed that victims who had consumed alcohol were blamed more and were perceived as more stable than sober victims. Conversely, intoxicated perpetrators were held less responsible and perceived as having less control over their actions, supporting the presence of a double standard of alcohol use. A significant interaction effect was also found between victim alcohol use and victim gender. Specifically, intoxicated female victims were blamed more than sober female victims, whereas no significant difference was found in the blame judgments for male victims based on alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that interpretations and gendered stereotypes surrounding alcohol use may influence blame attributions, contributing to the emergence of a double standard.
