Bystander Responses to Street Harassment Based on Gender, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation: A Qualitative Vignette Study From the United Kingdom

Street harassment based on gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is a common form of violence globally, experienced daily by many people. Despite the scale of the problem, there is surprisingly little research investigating street harassment from the perspectives of bystanders who observe it. In this study, 120 online participants from the United Kingdom read three vignettes depicting street harassment of a presumed cis-gender woman, a trans woman and a gay couple. After reading the vignettes, participants were asked open-ended questions regarding their potential actions and barriers and facilitators to help. We employed thematic analysis in exploring the responses and constructed five themes: (i) Perceived safety and risk; (ii) Bystander characteristics, knowledge and understanding; (iii) Perceived target need; (iv) Presence of other people and (v) Suggested bystander action. We discuss the results with a reference bystander literature, relating it to the specific context of street harassment.