The survey tool consisted of 20 situations in which a husband might beat his wife. Students were asked to select one of seven response options available to a battered wife. Results indicated that a substantial number of male and female students felt a wife should remain in the abusive relationship by trying to reason with the husband or by keeping quiet and tolerating the pain. Students did not consider asking for friend or neighbor intervention or going to the police to be appropriate reactions. Likewise, students did not view arrest and vigorous legal action as appropriate responses. The findings suggest that good interpersonal communication between spouses may reduce the occurrence of wife beating and that, even among youth, there is a reluctance to use professional services such as marriage counselors to resolve marital conflicts. 17 references and 2 tables