Irish public’s attitudes to sexual consent uncovered in national research

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s ‘We-Consent’ campaign says there is a gap between men and women’s understanding and expectations of sexual consent 

• 46% of men agree that people “often make up accusations about non-consensual sex”, compared to 27% of women.  

• 25% of men agree "I am not sure that sex without consent is as widespread a problem as it is made out to be", compared to 14% of women. 

• 55% of dating adults are “fearful that a partner might say that the sexual encounter that occurred when they were drinking was not consensual, despite going along with it at the time.” 

• 39% dating adults say they “often feel vulnerable” due to fear of misreading an intimate situation. 

• 1 in 10 people surveyed agree that “even when the other person originally says 'no', it can be ok to keep going and they might 'get in the mood'".  

• While the majority of all adults (92%) agree that “Even if you have given consent, you can change your mind at any time”. A significant minority of younger men (29%) aged 18-24 believe that “Once you have consented, you can’t really change your mind”. 

• 1 in 10 say that “sex happens when one of us wants it, even if the other person is not in the mood”, a view more commonly held by men under 35 (3 in 10).   

 
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has published national research on the public’s attitudes to sexual consent in Ireland. 

Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said: “The new national research reveals some positive indications that people are aware of the need for consent when they are engaging in sexual activity. However, their understanding of what consent is and how to put it into practice is causing some fear and uncertainty, particularly amongst those whose relationship status is ‘dating’. The findings also illustrate that there is a gulf between men and women’s understanding and expectations around sexual consent. This is a gap that we must close if we want to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence in this country. 

“Particularly worrying to us is the significant number of people who believe the myth that people ‘often’ make up false accusations about rape. Rape myths discourage victims from coming forward and enable perpetrators to live free from consequences. It is demoralising and dispiriting for anyone who has experienced sexual violence to see that almost half of men and close to 3 in 10 women think that accusations of rape are often made up.  

“In fact, it confirms the experience of many survivors of sexual violence – they are not believed, their experience is trivialised, and they are told they are in some way to blame. This new statistic is significantly higher than the Eurobarometer survey conducted across European states in February 2024, which reported that 20% of people in Ireland agree that ‘Women often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape.’” 

“A further finding from the research is the emergence of a specific fear amongst more than half of people whose relationship status is ‘dating’. This group is concerned ‘that a partner might say that the sexual encounter that occurred when they were drinking was not consensual, despite going along with it at the time.’  This is more than 20% higher than the average, which was calculated across all relationship statuses, and points to a concern about consent outside long term relationships   as well as engaging in sexual activity when drink is involved. 

“The fact that people are fearful tells us they are aware that consent is an important issue and that they need to be mindful of it, but also that they don’t know how to be sure that consent is present. From our perspective in Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, the new Social, Personal & Health Education programme cannot start soon enough so that we reframe how sex is viewed and give young people the support and information they need to go on to have healthy and pleasurable sex lives in the future. In addition to a comprehensive school programme, the Government’s national awareness campaigns on consent need to be maintained, alongside the community-level education, outreach and campaigning work of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and partners.” 
 

Sarah Monaghan, We-Consent Manager, says, “It is imperative that all people are equipped with the language and communication skills to check in with each other regularly throughout any sexual encounter, so as to ensure that all parties feel safe, respected and able to stop or change their mind at any time. Our recent research shows us that there is a need to focus on consent education and continue to advance societal change, as this is not yet fully understood. While the majority of the population (92%) agree that ‘Even if you have given consent, you can change your mind at any time’, there is a group of younger men (29%), particularly those aged 18-24, who believe that ‘Once you have consented, you can’t really change your mind.’ This dangerous and simplistic idea that consent is an irrevocable ‘permission’ must be challenged through education and awareness initiatives.”     
 
“Additionally, 1 in 10 people agree that ‘even when the other person originally says 'no', it can be ok to keep going and they might 'get in the mood’. 73% of those surveyed disagree with this statement.  

“It is very important to recognise that a ‘yes’ resulting from pressure, coercion, badgering or repeated attempts to try and wear someone down is not real and meaningful consent. Consent needs to be agreed between all parties who are happy to engage in a sexual activity and feel safe and supported to stop at any time,” added Ms Monaghan. 
 
Ms Morrogh concluded: "It is important to recognise that the issue of consent is relevant to everyone. While women are disproportionately affected by it, we know from our most recent annual report that the number of men who are reaching out to Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has increased to 17.5% of contacts in our latest National Helpline statistics. It’s critical that we include male victims when talking about sexual violence.  I encourage anyone who needs support to contact the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 1800 77 88 88, which is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.” 

Visit We-Consent.ie for more information and resources.  

Call 24-hour National Helpline 1800 778888 for free & confidential support.  

/ENDS  

Notes for Editors: 

1. Research was undertaken by Opinions Research and creative agency Language in November 2024. Research was undertaken via an online omnibus survey with a nationally representative sample of 923 adults in Ireland. This research project was complimented by qualitative focus group work, results of which will be released in Feb 2025.  
2. You can download a graphic of the research findings at: https://bit.ly/WeConRes25  
3. Consent is a freely given, voluntary agreement between people that allows each individual to decide what they want and do not want and to have that respected. 
4. We-Consent is a project of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, a non-governmental, voluntary organisation which has as its mission to prevent harm and heal the trauma of rape. DRCC offers a suite of services to victims/survivors of sexual violence. It also offers a wide range of training and education to professionals and volunteers. 
5. We-Consent is supported by the Department of Justice, Cuan, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Community Foundation for Ireland. The recent Signs of Hope campaign platforms powerful messages of hope and encouragement from survivors to others who have not yet reached out for support – learn more at https://www.drcc.ie/signsofhope/  
6. You can donate towards Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s work on www.drcc.ie/donate  
7. Other DRCC services and work:  

• DRCC operates the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 778888 to support anyone affected by sexual violence in any part of the country.  
  A webchat support service is available online at drcc.ie Mon-Fri, 10:00-17:00, and Tues & Weds 00:00-3:00.  
  A Helpline Interpreting Service is available for those who do not speak English - more at https://bit.ly/DRCClang  

• For those contacting the Helpline who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide a text service, operating Mon-Fri from 8am to 6:30pm, at 086-8238443. 

• Information on options after sexual violence is available for free online at any time at www.drcc.ie/fyw in the Finding Your Way after Sexual Violence guide. 

• DRCC offers counselling & therapy to adult survivors of sexual violence and to older adolescents from 16 years of age with parental/guardian consent. 

• We provide accompaniment support for the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, to Garda stations and to court or other such settings to people in Dublin and in surrounding areas, by arrangement.    

• We have outreach satellite offices at Coolock, Dóchas Women’s Centre, Balbriggan & Tallaght. Access to these services must be arranged via the National Helpline 1800 778888 during working hours, Mon-Fri.    

8. We ask that when reporting on this topic, journalists should remember that discussions on sexual violence can trigger personal trauma in those receiving the information. Where possible, please make reference to the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88 for anyone who may be affected by the discussion.