School Is Not a Dating Site: 120,000 People Have Had a Relationship With a Teacher. Czechs Agree Such Relationships Do Not Belong in Schools
The research agency NMS, in cooperation with Konsent z. s., prepared a representative survey of the Czech population aged 18+ on the topic of sexual harassment in schools. The aim was to map how the issue is perceived, how present people believe it to be in the population, and what attitudes they hold towards proposed solutions.
“We rarely see such a high level of agreement on social issues as we do when people assess teachers’ behavior towards students. The popular assumption that older generations trivialize sexualized behavior does not apply here. Rather, they use different terminology and are more likely to describe the behavior as problematic instead of calling it ‘sexual harassment’. But there is broad agreement across society that this kind of behavior should not happen,” explains Jakub Bakule, Managing Director of NMS.
How many people have experience with the issue?
Most Czechs (83%) do not personally know anyone who had a sexual relationship with a teacher at primary or secondary school. However, experience with such relationships is not negligible. Converted to the total population, around 1.2 million Czechs (15%) know someone in their social circle who has had such an experience, while approximately 120,000 people have direct personal experience (1.5% of respondents). Women reported encountering this phenomenon more often.
How serious do Czechs think the problem is?
A total of 39% of Czechs consider sexual harassment in schools a very serious problem, while another 25% see it as moderately serious. Women perceive the issue more sensitively than men (47% vs. 29%), as do younger generations: 57% of Gen Z consider it very serious, compared with 29% of Baby Boomers. Every sixth respondent (17%) does not have a clear opinion on the topic.
People who have direct or indirect experience with a teacher–student relationship also consider such behavior serious: 46% see it as very serious and 28% as moderately serious.
Which situations cross the line the most?
Czechs primarily identify non-consensual and unwanted behavior as sexual harassment: sending erotic text messages to 15-year-old female students (88%), slapping someone on the buttocks (77%), or comments about female students’ breasts (64%). In the case of a relationship between a teacher and a female student, age plays a major role: the same behavior involving an 18-year-old student is considered sexual harassment much less often than when it involves a 15-year-old student (for example, erotic text messages: 71% vs. 88%).
Even so, Czechs still view the situation through the lens of consent. Erotic text messages are considered unwanted and are therefore more often classified as sexual harassment. By contrast, in the case of a relationship between a 15-year-old student and a teacher, part of the population takes into account that the relationship appears to be consensual, even if it may be unethical.
The most divisive situation is a teacher asking female students about their sex life: 43% perceive this as sexual harassment, while 46% see it as problematic behavior. Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to label it sexual harassment, while Baby Boomers are more likely to describe it only as problematic.
“Three quarters of people with direct personal experience of a sexual relationship with a male or female teacher would describe a relationship between an 18-year-old female student and a teacher as sexual harassment or problematic behavior. They assess other situations in a similar way to the rest of the population. This shows that even Czechs who have had a sexual relationship with a teacher are not more tolerant of such behavior,” adds Jakub Bakule, Managing Director of NMS.
What should the sanction be?
Czechs agree on the need for clear rules. Nine out of ten believe every school should be required to have a code of ethics. 81% of Czechs would terminate the employment of a headteacher who knew about inappropriate behavior but failed to address it. Two thirds of Czechs (66%) agree with the strictest sanction — a three-year ban on teaching — with support being more frequent among younger generations.
Young vs. older generations: agreement on the principle, differences in terminology
Across generations, there is broad societal agreement that the behavior examined is not acceptable. The difference lies mainly in terminology: Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to call these situations sexual harassment directly, while Baby Boomers are more likely to describe the same behavior as problematic. The term sexual harassment was not as widespread in their time. However, when both assessments are combined, most situations exceed 95% even among the oldest generation.
Media contacts
Jakub Bakule, Managing Director NMS, +420 728 202 184, [email protected]
Tereza Friedrichová, NMS Public, +420 733 610 461, [email protected]
METHODOLOGY
Data was collected using the CAWI method (online interviewing) on the National Sample panel from April 30 to May 4, 2026. The sample is a representative quota sample of the Czech population aged 18+ by gender, age, education, region, and size of municipality. Percentages in charts may differ slightly from 100% due to rounding.
A total of 1,009 respondents aged 18+ from the online Czech population participated in the survey. The statistical margin of error at a 95% confidence level is ±3 percentage points.