No Means Yes: University Students Who Disagree with Affirmative Consent

• In Event: Addressing Victimization on Campus: Research Findings from the University of Kentucky's Campus Climate Survey

Abstract

Elements of consenting to sexual activity for university codes of conduct have typically included: 1) each partner physically capable of consenting (i.e., no incapacitation from substances); 2)prior sexuality not implying current consent; 3) relatively explicit consent (i.e., cannot infer from vague signals); 4) consent to one form of sexual activity not implying consent to other forms; and 5) each partner’s right to stop sexual activity at any point. This presentation reports on characteristics (e.g., demographics, student data, perceptions, social life and alcohol use) of college students who “disagree” rather than “agree” with elements of consent. On average, across 5 elements, 7.4% of students disagreed with affirmative consent, with males disagreeing more frequently than females. Undergraduates disagreed more than graduate and professional students, and international students were more likely to disagree than domestic students.

Authors

• Diane R. Follingstad, University of Kentucky

• Kellie Rose Lynch, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Jaspreet K. Chahal, University of Kentucky

• Claire M. Renzetti, University of Kentucky