Students at Sussex University are the most likely group in the UK to engage in sexual activity with their lecturers, research has revealed.
After witnessing a recent increase in the number of university lecturers and members of staff joining the site, Shag At Uni, a student dating website, polled students to uncover the secrets of student/lecturer relationships. The survey also aimed to identify the lecturers most likely to act on attractions according to what subjects they teach and where they are based in the UK.
Researchers polled a total of 1,773 male and female students for the purposes of the study, all of whom currently attend university part-time or full-time in the UK. Respondents were initially asked whether, during their time so far as a student, they had ever been sexually attracted to one of their lecturers or a lecturer teaching at the establishment they were attending. Over half of those polled admitted to feeling attracted to lecturers currently at the university.
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Of the respondents who confessed to a sexual attraction to a lecturer, three fifths (61%) confessed to indulging in ‘flirtatious behaviour’ with the lecturer in question and a fifth (19%) disclosed that the relationship had advanced further than just flirtation, to sexual contact. Sexual contact was described as any physical contact ranging from hugs and kisses to full sexual intercourse.
An infograph displaying their findings about student-lecturer relationships
After analysing results from the poll according to location, Sussex University came first with 14% of students confessing they were likely to act upon attraction towards lecturers, closely followed by 12% at University of Edinburg and 10% at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Of those who confessed to being sexually attracted to a lecturer, 12% claimed they found English lecturers attractive while just 3% were attracted to history lecturers.
Tom Thurlow, creator of Shag At Uni, said: "The fact that English teachers emerged as the most likely to develop sexual feelings or relationships with their students certainly makes sense if you consider the fact that those who teach English are likely to be well-read and able to recite romantic poetry to their students at the drop of hat. Who is going to be more attractive to an 18 year old student than someone older and in a position of power?
"Everybody knows at least one student who has been attracted to a lecturer at their university, so why should it be so shocking to find out that relationships are formed when lecturers also develop these feelings towards their pretty, young students? Yes it might be controversial and frowned upon to engage in a student/teacher relationship, but if we are talking about two willing and consenting adults, no damage is really being done."