Attitudes Toward Sexual and Digital Consent and Institutional Distrust as Determinants of Gender-Based Violence...

Gender-based and sexual violence are major public health concerns, and norms about consent are central to their prevention. This study examines how attitudes toward sexual consent relate to digital sexual consent and to the occasional feeling of distrust in public consent campaigns and institutions. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey embedded in the evaluation of a municipal consent campaign in Zaragoza (Spain). Adults (N = 404; 56.7% women) completed a 14-item short version of the Sexual Consent Scale-Revised, two items on digital sexual consent, and three items on institutional reluctance (perceived "sermonizing" tone, distrust in effectiveness, and lack of personal identification with the message). Correlation and multiple regression models with robust standard errors were estimated, controlling for gender, age, education, income, relationship status, and social media use. Attitudes toward sexual consent were strongly and positively associated with digital sexual consent. Gender was the most consistent sociodemographic correlate: men showed less egalitarian attitudes than women across all consent measurements. Institutional reluctance was systematically related to less supportive consent attitudes: perceiving institutional messages as exaggerated or personally irrelevant predicted lower support for sexual and digital consent norms, whereas trust in the campaign's effectiveness was associated with more egalitarian attitudes. The findings support the continuity between sexual and digital consent and highlight gender and institutional trust as key determinants for the prevention of gender-based and sexual violence. Public health and social policies should integrate digital consent into consent education and co-design campaigns that minimize defensive reactions and rebuild trust in institutions.