The Sexual Experiences Survey was completed by 6,026 undergraduate and postgraduate students at Higher Education Institutions in 2020.
It was conducted to address the gap in our knowledge on third level students’ experiences of sexual misconduct and harassment, attitudes and understanding of consent behaviours, rape myths, bystander intentions, and perceptions and awareness of college supports. The survey was a collaboration between the Active* Consent programme and the Union of Students in Ireland.
Content for the SES was based on the ARC3 Campus Climate Survey, a tool designed from previously validated survey tools and measures by researchers and administrators in the U.S. (Swartout et al., 2019). The aim was to provide the Irish HEI sector with the first comprehensive snapshot of positive and negative student sexual health experiences grounded by internationally recognised assessment strategies. The SES included modules on separate topics related to sexual health and violence, and the report describes the findings for three of the modules: student experiences of sexual violence; sexual harassment; and college-based education, prevention, and support strategies.
