Beliefs about the effectiveness of rape prevention strategies influence public cooperation in their implementation. To acquaint public policy makers with these beliefs and to help them assess their impact, a three-city telephone survey of adults was conducted using a random sampling of ages, races, male and female, married and unmarried, from all income categories. Strategies for crime prevention fall into two categories: reducing the likelihood that someone will become an offender, and reducing the likelihood that one will become a victim. Survey respondents were asked to assess the effectiveness of each type. Black and older women rated Restrictive Preventive Measures as more helpful than Assertive ones, while the opposite pattern of endorsement held for the other three race-sex groups and for young and middle-aged women. The assertion that likelihood of victimization affects people's beliefs about rape prevention found mixed support, with Black women higher than all others in endorsing Restrictive strategies, while young women gave it the lowest endorsement. Policy acceptance, particularly restricting women's activities, will vary according to age, sex, race, and income. (LS)