A staggering majority of students in the United Kingdom are willing to enter into a relationship with a “sugar daddy” to fund their college ambitions.
The crushing weight of student loan debt is pushing young adults into desperation, forcing them to look for new ways to potentially fund their educations. London South Bank University conducted a poll with The Independent, investigating what students are willing to do for a financial boost. Broadly, the Sunday poll found roughly one in three students are willing to trade sex for tuition, reports The Independent.
Roughly 75 percent of respondents said they would devote time to a “sugar daddy” when asked if they would engage in a relationship with a person they were attracted to for free tuition.
“What does it mean? We don’t know yet, but openness to the idea of becoming a sugar baby is far higher than we had predicted,” Dr. Julia Shaw and Gemma Daglish, lead researchers of the survey, said in an analysis, according to The Independent. “‘Sugar baby’ sounds a lot better than ‘prostitute’ or ‘escort.’ What if we had asked people whether they were willing to become prostitutes for a free education? Do you think fewer people would have agreed? We think so.”
The blind online survey drew 1,477 participants, with roughly 52 percent female and 45 percent male. The researchers say the results lay bare the mounting financial burdens placed on young adults seeking a college education.
The survey found participants would be much more willing to enter into a relationship with a “sugar daddy” if they suddenly lost part or all of their tuition funding. The most popular app for connecting “sugar daddies” with “sugar babies,” Seeking Arrangement, recently revealed nearly a quarter of a million U.K. students are members of the service, a 40 percent increase over two years, reports Inquisitor.
The average student in the U.S. graduates under the weight of more than $37,000 in loan debt, surpassing the average American debt for credit cards and car loans. Researchers are linking higher rates of mental health issues like anxiety and even physical illness to the stress caused by college debt.
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