The key findings of a new poll of students’ personal lives
published by the Higher Education Policy Institute in Sex and
Relationships Among Students: Summary Report (HEPI Policy
Note 30) include:
- most students (58%) regard making friends as more important
than finding sexual partners and just one-in-ten students (10%)
expected to have sex during freshers’ week while a similar
proportion (9%) did so
- only a small minority of students think their prior education
prepared them for the reality of sex and relationships in higher
education (6% of respondents ‘strongly agree’ and a further 21%
‘slightly agree’)
- a majority of students think it should be compulsory to pass
a sexual consent assessment before entering higher education (26%
‘strongly agree’ and 32% ‘slightly agree’)
- most students (59%) are ‘very confident’ about ‘what
constitutes sexual consent’ but only half as many (30%) are ‘very
confident’ about how to navigate sexual consent after alcohol has
been consumed
- two-thirds of students say they know how to challenge
inappropriate sexual behaviour (with 23% saying they feel ‘very
confident’ in doing so and 43% ‘fairly confident’)
- four-in-ten female students (40%) report that their periods
may have hampered them in assignments and over one-third (35%)
say they have missed an academic appointment due to their periods
- around half of students (52%) say their universities provided
‘good messaging about the importance of wellbeing’ during
lockdown and nearly as many (48%) say it was ‘easy’ to maintain
friendships
- only a small proportion of respondents agree their university
has told them ‘how to have safe intimate and sexual relations
online’ (5% ‘strongly agree’ and 9% ‘slightly agree’ while 45%
‘strongly disagree’ and a further 17% ‘slightly disagree’)
The poll was conducted for HEPI among 1,004 undergraduate
students by the professional market research company YouthSight
in August 2020. The results have been weighted by gender, year of
study and institution type to ensure they are representative.
, the Director of HEPI and the author of the report,
said:
‘It is vital to build a better understanding of how students live
today, including during the COVID disruption, if they are to have
the right support. Our robust polling provides the most
comprehensive, accurate and useful summary of the sex lives and
relationships of students in the UK that has been published for
many years. By telling students about the experiences of their
peers, we hope the results will make it easier for them to make
informed decisions about their own lives.
‘The poll confirms we need to alter the common understanding of
what it is like to be in higher education today. In the main,
students are not irresponsible nor do they lack resilience, but
they sometimes feel unprepared for life as an undergraduate. With
the right information to hand, they are generally keen to support
one another during challenging times.
‘One particularly striking finding is the high proportion of
female students whose higher education has been affected by their
periods. This supplements what we know about what happens at
school. Our new data suggest higher education institutions should
give female health matters further consideration across teaching,
learning and assessment.
‘More generally, the results show students enter university with
a range of different experiences and differences continue
throughout their time in higher education. 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.’
Other key findings
- Undergraduate students enter higher education with a range of
prior experiences: 43% ‘had never had sex with anyone’,
one-quarter (25%) had not ‘intimately kissed anyone’ and 18% were
‘in a long-distance relationship’.
- One-third of students say they have ‘learned more about sex
from pornography than from formal education’, with 11% ‘strongly’
agreeing and 24% ‘slightly’ agreeing.
- A large majority of students know alcohol and drugs can lead
to risky sexual behaviour (with 45% ‘strongly’ agreeing and 42%
‘slightly’ agreeing).
- Around one-half of students expressed positive responses on
‘being able to ask for advice and / or help’ about sex and
relationship issues, where to find that advice and how to access
sexual health and contraception services.
- Most students feel ‘able to speak to one or more friends at
university about sex, sexual health and relationships’ (32%
‘strongly agree’ and a further 37% ‘slightly agree’).
- Over one-third of students (36%) are ‘fairly confident’ on
‘who and how to contact someone if I am concerned about an aspect
of sex including bullying, coercion or regret’, and a further 15%
say they are ‘very confident’ on this.
- Two-thirds of students are confident they know what to do if
someone they know is in a harmful or abusive relationship. On the
other hand, one-in-four (25%) students say they are ‘not very
confident’ on this and a further 5% ‘not at all confident’.
- There are positive results on the understanding of a range of
consent issues, from ‘how not to put pressure on others’ to
knowledge of legislation ‘around sex and consent’. Nonetheless,
around 10% of students are ‘not very confident’ and a smaller
minority ‘not at all confident’ on ‘how to communicate consent
clearly’, ‘what constitutes sexual assault and violence’ and
‘what constitutes sexual harassment’.
- Students’ experiences confirm they are heterogenous: for
example, 41% say they have had sex during their time as a student
and 11% say they are ‘voluntarily abstaining from sex (not due to
government lockdown requirements)’.
- Just over half of students (52%) say they have watched
pornography, with one-third (31%) saying they currently do so.
The proportion who say they currently watch pornography is twice
as high for men (43%) as for women (22%).
- A higher proportion of women (47%) than men (34%) say they
have had sex during their time as a student; these men are less
likely to claim they have had one sexual partner.
- Among those students who have had sex during their time in
higher education, the majority (52%) have had just one sexual
partner and a further one-quarter (26%) have had two or three.
- One-in-eight (13%) female students say side effects from
contraception have affected their academic work and one-in-nine
(11%) say such effects have caused them to miss a class.
- Four-in-ten students (40%) have undertaken sexting, and 37%
of students have sent naked or semi-naked images to another
person.
Helen Marshall, the Chief Executive of Brook, a charity
that specialises in working with young people to promote their
sexual health, said:
‘This research provides an extremely valuable insight into
students’ understanding of sex and relationships. 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. 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.
‘Although mandatory relationships and sex education has recently
been introduced in schools, Brook’s experience shows that
students would hugely benefit from further support and learning
around these issues. Brook already delivers consent training in
several universities and we want to encourage more institutions
to improve their support services, empowering students to
confidently manage their own sexual health, relationships and
wellbeing.’
Notes for Editors
- The polling was undertaken between 11 August and 19 August
2020 by YouthSight, whose Student Panel comprises over 50,000
undergraduates in the UK recruited mainly through UCAS. The
margin of error is +/-3%, calculated at a 95% confidence level
and based on a result of 50%, where the margin of error is at its
maximum. Students were paid £2 to complete the survey. Further
information is available in the report and a spreadsheet with the
results is available – to obtain this, please email n.hillman@hepi.ac.uk.
