Poll: Consent Not Understood on Campus

A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that college students are deeply divided about what constitutes sexual consent, with 40 percent saying that undressing or getting a condom constitutes consent—and an equal number saying that it does not. “In an ideal world, you would have verbal consent, but that’s not the way things happen usually,” said a female student who believes getting a condom implies consent to sexual activity. The poll also found that 69 percent say the “yes means yes” standard is realistic, but men were more skeptical than women. However, 93 percent said that men having more respect for women would help lower rates of sexual assault—a bigger percentage than agreed on any other prevention measure.