'Concerning' attitudes to sexual consent among younger men, study finds

Concerning attitudes to sexual consent, particularly among younger men, have been revealed in a new study by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC).

Some 21 per cent of all respondents agreed that “sometimes sex is not fully consensual but is not rape”, while 20 per cent of men aged under 45 agreed with the statement: “I’d probably keep going even if I suspect my partner is not enjoying a sexual encounter.”

The research found that 33 per cent agreed that you “go along with” sex as part of a long-term relationship, even when “you’re not always up for it”.

Almost one in 5 (19 per cent) of those surveyed think that people say no to sex when they want to be convinced.

However, the study also identified positive trends, with almost half (47 per cent) of those surveyed reporting a better understanding of consent than they held 12 months ago.

Some 48 per cent of people surveyed reported that they now had a more positive attitude towards consent compared to one year ago.

When asked whether they agree that “Everyone has the right to change their mind at any point during a sexual encounter, no matter how far it’s gone”, over three-quarters (76 per cent) strongly agreed, marking an increase from 62 per cent in 2021.

A large majority (84 per cent) agreed that they would “prefer to stop things if I suspect my partner is not enjoying a sexual encounter”, up from 76 per cent in DRCC’s 2021 survey.

This is the third tranche of national research focused on public understanding of sexual consent by DRCC as part of the We-Consent campaign.

“We can see there has been significant progress in terms of the general public’s understanding of consent, but we know that we have much more to do,” Sarah Monaghan, We-Consent project manager, said.

“We hear from those we engage with that there is a need for more discussion about long-term relationships and how consent cannot be assumed within marriage and relationships.”