According to an exclusive Ipsos poll for the PA news agency, women are slightly more supportive of increasing the age of consent and believe that older men in relationships with a significant age gap have more power. This survey’s findings come after a woman claimed to have been in a relationship with Russell Brand when she was 16 and he was 30. Brand has denied these allegations and stated that all of his relationships have been consensual.
The woman, referred to as Alice, has suggested implementing “staggered consent” in the law to prevent adults from exploiting the sexual determination of 16 or 17-year-olds. The PA poll revealed that 31% of men find it somewhat or completely acceptable for a 16-year-old girl to be in a sexual relationship with a man up to 30 years older, compared to only 15% of women who find this acceptable. While 68% of women find this situation unacceptable, only 54% of men feel the same way.
Concerning a 16-year-old boy having a sexual relationship with a woman up to 30 years older, 27% of men find this acceptable, while only 9% of women agree. Furthermore, 52% of men find it somewhat or completely unacceptable, while 73% of women hold this view. The same trend continues with larger age gaps. About 17% of men find it somewhat or completely acceptable for a 16-year-old girl to have a sexual relationship with a man up to 40 years older, compared to only 4% of women who share this sentiment. When the age gap increases to a man aged 50 or older, 13% of men find it acceptable, while only 3% of women do.
Overall, 48% of the respondents support raising the age of consent from 16 to 18, while 40% support the idea of staggered consent, similar to the findings of a recent YouGov poll. Women are slightly more likely to support staggered consent, with 41% in favor compared to 38% of men, according to the Ipsos poll.
The survey also reveals that 59% of all respondents believe that relationships where the woman is at least 10 years younger than the man result in an imbalance of power. Among female survey participants, 64% share this view, compared to 54% of men.
In an interview with BBC Radio Women’s Hour, Alice spoke about her previous relationship with Brand and the challenges her mother faced in protecting her at the time. Alice argues that although individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 can have relationships with those in the same age bracket, the law should offer more protection against significantly older adults.
Brand is facing allegations of sexual assault from four women, including Alice, which were reported in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4. The comedian strongly denies these allegations, emphasizing that all his relationships have been consensual. The Metropolitan Police has also received a separate allegation of sexual assault in Soho, central London, from 2003, following the airing of Channel 4 Dispatches programme. Additionally, the BBC is investigating a claim that Brand exposed himself to a woman and laughed about it on his radio show.
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