One in five people believe 'no' can mean 'convince me', consent survey finds

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre staff and stakeholders at the launch of the 'We Consent' campaign in Merrion Square. Picture: Keith Arkins Media

The first national campaign on sexual consent was launched today as new figures show one in five people agree that sometimes people say no to sex when they want convincing.

‘We Consent’ is part of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s new initiative following research involving the culture around consent in Ireland.

Speaking at today’s launch, the Minister for Justice Simon Harris said: “It shows the level of work that we still have to do in Ireland when it comes to a mature understanding of consent.

“We see that a very significant majority of people believe we have a problem in Ireland when it comes to consent but encouragingly around 81% of people believe the more we talk about consent the less that problem becomes and the more we can change cultures in Ireland.

“So it does show there’s a real body of work that needs to be done."

The findings also highlight how one in three people said they were too embarrassed to talk about sex, while 21% of people said they agreed with the statement: ‘Sometimes people say no when they want convincing’.

The study also revealed 33% reported that they agreed with the statement: “Having sex is just part of a long-term relationship — you're not always up for it but you’d go along with it”.

Dr Caroline Kelleher with the Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, who was one of the panelists, said: “I don’t think it comes from a bad place, generally when we don’t know what the right thing to do is. One of the most important things I have learned is, if somebody says no to something, it’s not a no to you — it might be but it’s a no to the activity and it doesn’t mean that everything else is off the table, it just means this is my limit for now”.

DRCC CEO Noeline Blackwell said: “Our aim in this campaign is to emphasise the positive values of consent which in turn can help reduce the levels of sexual violence.”