UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent

ABSTRACT

There is a growing recognition of the importance of trying to understand how sexual consent is understood and negotiated, yet research in this area is still developing. In particular, there is a need to better understand how young adults, a group significantly more likely to be victims of sexual assault, negotiate sexual consent across a range of cultural settings. Utilising semi-structured interviews, this research explores 20 British University students’ perspectives and behaviours regarding sexual consent. Through thematic analysis, three key themes were identified: consent is often assumed in sexual settings; consent is understood to be important, but often taboo to discuss; and consent can be negotiated in complex ways. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the realities of how consent is being enacted and understood and have implications for campaigns which aim to reduce instances of sexual assault on campus.

KEYWORDS:

• Casual Sex
• Consent
• Hook-ups
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Consent

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicting interests.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Liam Wignall

Liam Wignall is a lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University who qualitatively explores the identities and experiences of non-heterosexual individuals related to: kink, BDSM, and fetishes; pornography consumption; non-exclusive sexualities; and sexual consent using theories from psychology, sociology and cultural studies, focusing on the impact of the internet and the role of community participation for these individuals. He serves on the British Psychological Society’s Psychology of Sexualities committee and is a research affiliate for the Center of Positive Sexuality.

Jade Stirling

Jade Stirling was a master’s student at Bournemouth University interested in how sexual consent is negotiated among student samples. She has previously published on how narrative approaches can be used to understand people’s comprehension on acquaintance rape.

Ryan Scoats

Ryan Scoats is a lecturer in the School of Humanities at Coventry university who utilises a sociological perspective to understand engagement in group sex and generating honest dialogue around sexual desires and behaviours. He also researches young men’s changing masculinity and adds to a growing body of work suggesting more and more men are rejecting traditional models of masculinity; enabling them to engage with their emotions, demonstrate vulnerability, and reject homophobia.