Shaping Views on the Regulation of Women’s Prostitution: The Role of Individual Characteristics and Psychosocial Factors

Abstract In recent decades, prostitution has emerged a highly debated issue among policymakers and the general public. Given the limited research in this field, this study investigates public attitudes toward the regulation of women’s prostitution through latent class analysis. It also examines the factors that correlate with these attitudes, focusing on psychosocial factors (rape myth acceptance, sexist attitudes, and comfort with sexuality) and individual characteristics (gender, age, and religiosity), as well as behaviors related to pornography consumption and the purchase of sexual services. The sample consisted of 363 Italian participants (53.9% women, M = 24.8 years). The findings reveal ambivalence in public attitudes toward the regulation of women’s prostitution, reflecting the lack of clear legislative frameworks on the issue. Rape myth acceptance and comfort with sexuality were positively associated with greater support for the legalization of prostitution. In contrast, women and religiously active individuals were more likely to favor a moderate abolitionist stance compared to men and non-religious respondents. Benevolent sexism was positively correlated with support for the criminalization of prostitution, while hostile sexism did not show a significant association with any of the regulatory models considered. The results are discussed in relation to the concept of the “politics of morality”, highlighting how public attitudes toward prostitution intersect with broader moral and ideological perspectives.