Contributions of young people in dialogue with scientific evidence on sexual consent

Abstract

Scientific research increasingly underlines the importance of a community science focus in research. It explains the importance of engaging young people in scientific research and the consequences of this in improving science. However, there is less literature addressing how this dialogue with scientific evidence also influences research participants’ empowerment in seeking concrete solutions and even proposing and/or transforming current interactions they have in different environments. This research aims to shed light on the theory and methodology procedure that enables young people aged 18–25 to be engaged in a scientific dialogue on sexual consent that challenges their own realities. In the framework of the CONSENT project (PID2019-110466RB-I00), a questionnaire script was co-created by the researchers, young people, and the project advisory committee, and later 50 daily life stories and 7 focus groups were conducted. Results show how, as the dialogue and access to scientific evidence progressed, ideas that influence the concrete understanding of consent arise, which is a previous requirement to promote spaces free of coercion and favour their freedom and that of the people with whom they relate. The implications of these results are twofold; on the one hand, the results generate a social impact on the lives of these young people and the people they meet, while on the other hand, their participation implies improved information that should be incorporated into sexual consent awareness campaigns.