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On the one hand, some of the responses are cause for optimism — for example, 56 per cent of men say they are more aware of domestic violence issues than they were five years ago, and 91 per cent say they would intervene if they knew someone in a violent relationship.

Some of the other results, however, are more disturbing. Fifty-two per cent of men surveyed said they believe a woman can leave a violent relationship if she really wants to, while only 52 per cent disagreed with the statement, “If a woman wears provocative clothing, she’s putting herself at risk for rape.”

Thirteen per cent of the survey respondents said domestic violence is not as serious if it results from people getting so angry they temporarily lose control. And eight per cent, nearly one in 10 of the men surveyed, did not agree that it’s never acceptable to physically assault a woman if she did something to incite the anger.

Reimer said the information gleaned from the survey will be useful to those who work in the field of domestic violence response and prevention, helping them to target their message and design programs.

“This is where we’re at,” said Reimer. “We’ve got a realistic appraisal here, so now let’s take what we know and see how we can make a difference to make things better.”

Guest panellists at Monday’s event included Enbridge president and CEO Pat Daniel, Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson, White Ribbon Campaign program director Humberto Carolo, activist and former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, and Alberta Premier Alison Redford — who said some of the survey results “made me sick to my stomach.”