Sexual violence among students attending a higher education institution in the UK (OUR SPACE): a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

BackgroundSexual violence among higher education students is a public health issue. Establishing the prevalence of this issue is essential for designing and resourcing responses, including monitoring the effectiveness of existing prevention initiatives. There is a dearth of rigorous research assessing the prevalence of sexual violence among higher education students in the UK. This research provides the first prevalence estimates of sexual violence among students attending a large university located in central southern England. MethodsOUR SPACE is a cross-sectional survey that was sent directly to all students at the university via email (with three reminders), in May, 2021. The survey was co-developed, promoted via social media, and administered with University partners and student groups. OUR SPACE used a complete sampling approach (n=26 119) to measure university climate, bystander behaviour, and past-year sexual harassment and violence victimisation, and sexual harassment and violence perpetration prevalence. A revised version of Koss' Sexual Experience Survey was used to measure sexual violence. University data reported that the student body comprises 50% undergraduate students (approximately 12 276 women [47%], and 13 843 men [53%]). FindingsOur total sample (n=1608; 949 [59%] cis women, 563 [35%] cis men, 64 [4%] transgender or gender non-conforming students, and 32 [25%] students who preferred not to say) included 949 (59%) undergraduate students. Our response rate was 6%. From 2019–20, 18% (95% CI 16–20) of respondents reported an incident of sexual violence, and 50% (47–53) reported an incident of sexual harassment. Perpetration of sexual violence was reported by 1% (0·6–1·7) of respondents and harassment by 12% (10–14) of respondents. InterpretationOur findings show that sexual harassment and sexual violence are experienced by a significant proportion of students at university. Women appear to face more risk of experiencing sexual violence when compared with men, which is consistent with findings from other contexts. These findings are limited by a low response rate, and response bias. This research indicates the potential importance of prioritising and funding preventive initiatives among student populations in the UK. It also provides a survey tool that can be adapted and replicated at UK higher education institutions across the sector. FundingUniversity of Oxford.