Most students think sexual consent test should be compulsory for university, survey suggests

Most students believe it should be compulsory to pass a sexual consent test before university, according to a new poll.

In the survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think-tank, under a third said they felt very confident about navigating consent after drinking alcohol.

Meanwhile, more than 10 per cent said they were not confident on how to communicate consent clearly or what constitutes sexual assault and violence, as well as sexual harassment.

Universities have also seen protests against sexual harassment and violence on campus this year, after campaign groups were set up in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, who disappeared walking home on a main road, and the widespread conversations over women’s safety that followed.

The Hepi findings also come after the campaign Everyone’s Invited put a spotlight on sexual abuse experienced and perpetrated by school and university students, with thousands of testimonies shared on its website.

In the survey, 58 per cent said all students should have to take an assessment to show they fully understand sexual consent before starting their degrees.

Just over half said they believe relationships and sex education should be made compulsory during the welcome period, according to the poll of around 1,000 students last August, while more than one third said they had learnt “more about sex from pornography than from formal education”.

The survey - by Hepi and research agency YouthSight - also found over 40 per cent of undergraduates polled said they were virgins when they arrived on campus.

On the Everyone’s Invited website, nearly 100 UK universities have been named in testimonies of sexual harassment and assault, which often include where the assault happened or where the perpetrator attended.

A number of the country’s top institutions were mentioned more than 50 times on the site, which has sparked allegations of a "rape culture" in education settings.

Earlier this month, England’s higher education regulator called on universities and colleges to take urgent action and do more to tackle sexual misconduct and harassment affecting students.

Campaigners told The Independent last month they wanted to see more action against sexual assault from universities, including workshops and more resources going towards victim support. 

The Reclaim Campus UoB group at the University of Birmingham said they had seen demands met to improve safety - including better lighting and security for vehicles coming onto site - since being set up after Ms Everard’s death.

Campaigners also told The Independent students have been “scared” and “hesitant” to report sexual assaults that happened while breaching Covid-19 guidelines for fear of repercussions. 

Following the Hepi survey findings, Helen Marshall from Brook, a charity that works with young people to promote their sexual health, said: “While some of the findings are encouraging, much more still needs to be done to support students at university, many of whom will be away from home for the first time.”

The charity’s chief executive, said. “Young people are sadly entering higher education feeling unprepared for the reality of sex and relationships, and there is clear demand from students themselves for greater education around consent.”

Nick Hillman, Hepi’s director, said it was the “most comprehensive, accurate and useful summary” of UK students’ sex lives and relationships published in “many years”.

The report’s author added: “Much of our polling paints a positive picture but some elements of the results suggest - if the resources are available - that schools, universities and policymakers could all do more to help students navigate what is a key transition point in their lives."

Additional reporting by Press Association