A national survey has found that 25% of people questioned believe that women who had been raped were in some way to blame for the attack.
The finding is included in the results of a Red C poll published in this morning's Irish Examiner.
The Irish Examiner Red C survey revealed dramatic differences in empathy for a raped woman based on age and social class.
Almost 33% of those surveyed thought a victim was in some way responsible for being raped if she flirted with a man or failed to say 'no' clearly.
10% of people felt the victim was entirely at fault if she had a number of sexual partners.
One in three believed a woman was either partly or fully to blame if she wore revealing clothes.
Nearly one in four people felt that a woman must share some of the blame if she walked through a deserted area.
25% believed a woman who was drunk and took illegal drugs was either partly or fully to blame.
The survey also found that adults under the age of 25 were far more likely to blame a raped woman than people aged 25 to 44.
Reacting to the survey, Fiona Neary, Director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland said, 'This highlights the issue of how consent is understood, particularly in relation to jury trials.
'We need a change in legislation to define clearly what consent is, and a comprehensive education programme to back that up.'
