Four in ten former students reported at least one experience of unwanted attention from staff

Sexual harassment by lecturers is rife with two fifths of students experiencing sexualised behaviour from staff, research suggests.

The vast majority of harassers were academics, according to the National Union of Students which questioned more than 1,800 present and former students and analysed data from four focus groups. It worked with the 1752 Group, a research organisation which campaigns to end sexual misconduct in higher education.

Four in ten respondents reported at least one experience of sexualised jokes, comments and unwanted touching from staff.

About 2 per cent (35) of the 1,535 current students who responded said that they had experienced non-consensual sexual contact while nine said they had been sexually assaulted or raped by a staff member.

Women were more likely than men to