american porn
homewatch the programprosecutingthe businessspecial reportsdiscussion
do you use porn?: A survey from The  Kinsey Institute

Below are the highlights of this survey's results, along with the total number of respondents. The survey participants were viewers of "American Porn" and/or visitors to the Web site who answered the questions over the first few months following the original February 2002 broadcast.

10453respondents
Sex of the respondents
male
80% (8454)
female
17% (1792)
Age group of the respondents
18 - 20 years
11% (1161)
21 - 30 years
31% (3281)
31 - 40 years
29% (3081)
41 - 50 years
15% (1619)
51 - 60 years
7% (756)
61 - 70 years
2% (227)
71 or older
1% (118)
How often have you viewed sexual images in the past month?
Not once, and I have never before
3% (315)
Not once, but I have in the past
20% (2119)
One or two times
16% (1768)
Once a week
10% (1138)
A few times a week
27% (2851)
Once a day
9% (953)
Several times a day
10% (1126)
If you use pornography, how much time per week did you spend on it during the past month?
I did not use porn during the past month
11% (1195)
Less than one hour
18% (1968)
1-5 hours
37% (3889)
6-15 hours
16% (1708)
16-25 hours
6% (690)
26-50 hours
3% (395)
More than 50 hours
3% (337)

· The top five feelings expressed about porn
86%It can educate people
72%It offers a harmless outlet for unconventional or other private fantasies
68%It can lead to more open attitudes about (one's own) sexuality
55%It can improve relationships
49%It is offensive and degrading
· Why do you use porn? (top five answers)
72%To masturbate/for physical release
69%To sexually arouse myself and/or others
54%Out of curiosity
43%Because I can fantasize about things I would not necessarily want in real life
38%To distract myself
· Why do you think other people use porn? (top five answers)
87%Out of curiosity
83%To masturbate/for physical release
82%To sexually arouse themselves and/or others
77%To entertain themselves
65%Because they don't have a sexual partner
· If you used porn, how do you feel about this?
80%I am fine with my porn use
30%I feel bad while I'm using porn
19%I am fine with it, but my partner doesn't (or would not) like me using porn
16%I feel bad after using porn
9%I have tried to stop using it but I can't
· If you used pornography in the past, but not anymore, why do you not use it anymore? (top five answers)
4%Other reasons
4%I got bored with it
2%Change in life circumstances (new job, new relationship, children)
2%It led from bad to worse (e.g., I became "addicted")
1%It was starting to affect my relationships with others, my work, or other activities
· If you have never used pornography, why not? (top five answers)
3%It is offensive and degrading
2%I am not interested in it
2%It goes against my values
1%It violates my religious principles
1%It confirms stereotypes of men, women, and/or of what sex really is about

home . introduction . prosecuting . the business . special reports
watch the program . if you were the juror... . quiz . do you use porn? . discussion
interviews . readings & links . tapes & transcripts . press reaction . credits . privacy
FRONTLINE . wgbh . pbs online

some photos copyright © 2002 photodisc all rights reserved.
web site copyright WGBH educational foundation

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY