Young Adults May Misjudge Peers’ Opinion of Verbal Consent

Universities have increasingly provided training and resources to improve students’ understanding of sexual consent and encourage the use of verbal consent. Despite this, many young adults report having apprehensions that they will ruin the mood’ if they discuss consent with a partner. The current study assessed young adults’ own opinions of consent versus those they ascribe to their peers. 151 young adults (18–25) completed an online survey, indicating how important they found verbal consent and how comfortable they were discussing consent with a partner. They then rated how they anticipated their peers would answer the same items. Significant differences were found between self and peer-ratings on both items, such that young adults reported finding verbal consent more important and comfortable for themselves than they anticipated it was for their peers. This suggests that young adults may underestimate peers’ opinions of verbal consent. Future research may explore methods to correct misperceptions of consent norms and how this may affect wellbeing in relationships.