About one in 10 people under 25 are unsure – or do not believe – that removing a condom during sex is a crime, according to a UK survey. The online study by researchers at University College London (UCL) asked 1,729 people aged between 18 and 25 for their views on so-called ‘stealthing’.

‘Stealthing’ is when a condom is removed during sex without consent and is classed as rape in England and Wales. Researchers said the survey – the first of its kind in the UK – showed most (99%) considered non-consensual condom removal to be wrong, but a lower proportion classed it as a crime.

The peer-reviewed study also showed that – when figures were adjusted to balance for the larger number of female responses – men were less likely to view it as sexual assault than women, at 83% compared with 91.4%.

Senior author Dr Geraldine Barrett, from UCL’s EGA Institute for Women’s Health, said: “Non-consensual condom removal during sex, sometimes called stealthing, has recently emerged in the public and legal spheres as a ‘sex trend’. “Given that they are in control of the condom, it’s really important that young men understand that it’s not just a sex trend, it’s a crime.”