Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important correlate of violent behavior. This study examined acceptance of IPV using data collected from a nationally representative telephone survey of 5,238 adults. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations between sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to violence, question order, and acceptance of hitting a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend under specific circumstances. Depending on circumstances, acceptance of IPV was significantly higher among participants who were male and younger than 35; were non-white; were divorced, separated, or had never married; had not completed high school; had a low household income; or had been victims of violence within the preceding 12 months. Participants were more accepting of women hitting men; they were also consistently more likely to report tolerance of IPV if they were asked first about women hitting men rather than men hitting women. The study concluded that efforts to change IPV attitudes can be tailored to specific IPV circumstances and subgroups, and these efforts should emphasize that the use of physical violence is unacceptable to both genders. Tables, note, references