One in five Australians believe a woman is partly responsible for rape if she is drunk and one in six support the notion that women say “no” when they mean yes, according to a study.

But the national survey of 17,500 people found most people considered domestic violence a crime and 98 per cent said they would intervene if a woman they knew was the target of violence.

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The survey, conducted by VicHealth, found that between four and six per cent of people said that violence was justified in circumstances including a partner trying to leave the relationship or denying an ex-partner child access.

It also showed one in four said men made better political leaders and one in five believed a man should be head of the household.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said attitudes had remained stable since the survey was first conducted in 1995 and again in 2009.

“What we’re seeing is more people who now understand that violence is more than a bruised eye or broken bones,” Ms Rechter said.

“We are really concerned about the number of people – men and women – who still believe that rape and physical violence are justifiable and that women are often partly to blame,” she said.