German poet Heinrich Heine said you cannot feed the hungry on statistics. Well-researched stats can only illuminate the problem, not solve it.
But for many, the problem of pornography in our modern culture still needs a spotlight. What do some of the latest stats tell us about this sexual-media giant?
Covenant Eyes has released a new conglomeration of pornography statistics based on some of the best research. Here are the highlights…
Porn is big business.
In the early 2000s, global porn revenues were estimated at $20 billion, with $10 billion coming from US consumers.
However, by 2011 both global and U.S. porn revenues had been reduced by 50%, due in large part to the amount of free pornography available online. It is estimated that 80-90% of Internet porn users only access free online material.
As far as online pornography is concerned, from 2001 to 2007, the Internet porn industry went from a $1-billion-a-year industry to $3-billion-a-year in the US alone.
Porn is a dangerous business.
On average, 17% of performers use condoms in heterosexual porn films. 66% of porn performers have herpes, and 7% of porn performers have HIV.
Ex-porn star Tanya Burleson says men and women in pornography do drugs because “they can’t deal with the way they’re being treated” in the industry. A 2012 survey of porn actresses demonstrated 79% of porn stars have used marijuana, 50% have used ecstasy, 44% have used cocaine, and 39% have used hallucinogens.
When hundreds of scenes were analyzed from the 50 top-selling adult films, 88% of scenes contained acts of physical aggression, and 49% of scenes contained verbal aggression.
All types of people look at Internet porn.
Paul Fishbein, founder of Adult Video News, is right when he says, “Porn doesn’t have a demographic—it goes across all demographics.” After an analysis of 400 million web searches, researchers concluded that 1 in 8 of all searches online is for erotic content.
Who is more likely to seek out pornography online? According to data taken from Internet users who took part in the General Social Survey:
- Men are 543% more likely to look at porn than females.
- Those who are politically more liberal are 19% more likely to look at porn.
- Those who have ever committed adultery are 218% more likely to look at porn.
- Those who have ever engaged in paid sex are 270% more likely to look at porn.
- Those who are happily married are 61% less likely to look at porn.
- Those with teen children at home are 45% less likely to look at porn.
- Regular church attenders are 26% less likely to look at porn than non-attenders, but those self-identified as “fundamentalists” are 91% more likely to look at porn.
Mobile porn is increasing in popularity.
After an analysis of more than one million hits to Google’s mobile search sites, more than 1 in 5 searches are for pornography on mobile devices.
By 2015, mobile adult content and services are expected to reach $2.8 billion, mobile adult subscriptions will reach nearly $1 billion, and mobile adult video on tablets will triple worldwide.
It is common for teens to see porn.
In a 2010 national survey, over a quarter of 16- to 17-year-olds said they were exposed to nudity online when they did not want to see it. In addition, 20% of 16-year-olds and 30% of 17-year-olds have received a “sext” (a sexually explicit text message).
More than 7 out of 10 teens hide their online behavior from their parents in some way.
35% of boys say they have viewed pornographic videos “too many times to count.”
More than half of boys and nearly a third of girls see their first pornographic images before they turn 13. In a survey of hundreds of college students, 93% of boys and 62% of girls said they were exposed to pornography before they turned 18. In the same survey, 83% of boys and 57% of girls said they had seen images of group sex online.
It is common for young adults to use porn.
About 64-68% of young adult men and about 18% of women use porn at least once every week. Another 17% of men and another 30% of women use porn 1-2 times per month.
Two-thirds of college-age men and half of college-age women say viewing porn is an acceptable way to express one’s sexuality.
Porn is destroying families.
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reports that 56% of divorce cases involve one party having “an obsessive interest in pornographic websites.”
According to numerous studies, prolonged exposure to pornography leads to:
- diminished trust between intimate couples
- the belief that promiscuity is the natural state
- cynicism about love or the need for affection between sexual partners
- the belief that marriage is sexually confining
- a lack of attraction to family and child-raising
Continue to educate yourself about this topic. See our comprehensive list of statistics.
This is some SERIOUS religious BS. PLENTY of people watch porn for pleasure and maintain completely normal relationships. These statistics are so completely skewed its embarrassing. “A 2012 survey of porn actresses demonstrated 79% of porn stars have used marijuana, 50% have used ecstasy, 44% have used cocaine, and 39% have used hallucinogens.” Tons of Americans have “tried” all these drugs, hell even our president has “tried” cocaine. Those statistics are completely irrelevant along with most posted in this article. Saying porn is a main cause of recent divorce rates is a joke. Maybe attribute it to humans and now women having the courage to end marriages when they aren’t working, rather than living unhappily. Porn hasn’t all of a sudden created a new urge for sex and fantasy, human nature remains relatively consistent. I think most people understand that sex in the real world does not resemble that of pornography. Quit being afraid and learn to deal with it. On no, your 8 year old son saw a naked woman? The world is coming to and end! If you really think it’ll completely change his view on how women are treated maybe you should learn to be a good parent and teach him. If anything, new technologies will be a reason we can slow domestic violence in this country.
Basically, let’s be honest…you are lying to yourself if you don’t think porn is entertaining. Sex for money has always existed, sorry that you can now watch it. If you don’t agree, go read the bible and maybe everything will be all right! I think Jesus has a paragraph about mobile porn ruining human existence.
If you have a problem with the statistics, then I suggest you speak to the authors of the studies themselves. Most of these stats come from organizations and people who are not religiously motivated.
I first discovered pornography at the young age of eight years old. I looked up the term “nudist colony” online, and I saw a lot of images of people with no clothes on. (Imagine that.) I knew the images were bad; however, I liked what I saw and wanted more. For eight years I have been wanting more. For eight years I have been struggling with an addiction to pornography. For eight years I have pleaded to God to help me overcome this addiction. I don’t know if I’m not trusting Him enough or what, but nevertheless I still have the addiction!! It is driving me insane. Images flood my mind every day and night, and I am DROWNING in my lusts!!! This addiction is killing me from the inside out, and I sometimes I wish I would just die already. I’ve tried reading my Bible, praying to God, reading self-help websites like this, and so many things like this, but this addiction is relentless. Can someone here please help me?! I’m dying!!
The first thing to do is to find someone you trust and tell them about it….maybe a mentor at your church. It can be very hard to share about a personal struggle like this, but if you find someone you trust to keep it private and hold you accountable, they can help you find ways to root out and kill temptations. It will be a strong process, but God will see you through it!
Find someone you can talk 2. Getting it off your chest is the first step to liberating yourself from the pressure. Make sure it’s someone you trust, if you have a pastor that’s a good person to go 2. Or find a mature Christian adult. They will help you release and will hold you accountable. If you need help or prayer email me at dthomp27@emich.edu
This is typical of a life dominated by this sin. You need to not only tell someone you can trust, but I strongly recommend that you go through the free course at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com. You wont regret it! You will be assigned a mentor who will walk with you towards freedom in Christ! As someone who struggled with this sin for 25 years I can tell you there is freedom from this sin. Christ died for our freedom. We just need to learn to walk in it. And trust me, we need the help of others! Don’t buy into the lie that your somehow okay now, or it’s just once in a while. These are just the cycle of pornography. From cover to cover the Word of God talks about sexual immorality. So if some doubt those statistics then look for yourself. The apostle Paul alone mentions sexual immorality in 11 out of his 13 letters. Very high statistics my friends.
Hey Luke
Thanks for all your hard work, good article. For any one struggling with pornography you can check out a website that I run at http://www.gen3x.org. it will expose what pornography really is.
Thanks, Girvan. Nice website. We should talk about ways Covenant Eyes can partner with you.
I’m using this article for my argument and debate class but I don’t know how to cite it.
Great! In your debate you could simply cite the article saying, “According to the Internet safety company Covenant Eyes’ most recent release of pornography-related statistics…” or something like that. If I were the one doing the debate, I might go back to the original sources on specific stats to lend more credibility to the argument. We have our complete list of all our stats, along with all the citations for them, here. Feel free to download and use it!
I could very well be looking over it, but what are your resources on the statistics? I am doing a research paper over porn addiction and I have been looking for the statistics and i cannot find reliable resources.
Thanks!
If you follow the links to the full report, you can download our complete packet. Hope it helps!
Totally biased. Seems to be focusing on negative aspects of porn , like it was written by some unattractive “christian” who is has kids, a husband but only engaged in sex to conceive & never touched since those few occasions.
Well, if you want to judge if I’m unattractive, you can visit the author page and look at my photo. No doubt: I’m not the handsomest dude in the world. Not sure what that has to do with porn.
As to whether I have kids, yes! A proud father of four boys. Again, not sure what that has to do with my research on porn.
And as to whether I have had sex since my twins were born…um…why would anyone stop having sex with the one they love? You lost me.
Biased? Absolutely. The list is compiled to demonstrate the damaging nature of porn. I’ll tell you what: you compile another list of stats from peer reviewed journals that shows the opposite side of the picture and we’ll compare notes.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with porn. Is there anything wrong with pleasuring yourself every so often? No. Desire happens and I’m sure multiple people in family watch porn and we are all happy normal people and a regular family.
This post doesn’t really get into the ethics behind pornography, but thanks for bringing it up. Ultimately, I believe porn is exploitative. The harms done to individuals will differ from person to person, but in the end the worst part about pornography is that it is lustful, a craving for something that in turn exploits and depersonalizes people made in the image of God.
A female associate has just kicked her husband out of their home because she caught him using internet porn. I’m interested in www porn stats, but I’d like a little more info as to how and where, etc. the info you have on this page was obtained. Would you be willing to share? I haven’t found much in the way of primary polling. She and I both consider this a very serious situation, though I tend to think it’s more widespread than she does. I’d like to help her if I can. The husband has applied to his pastor for help, who I think is probably as likely to be as competent as anyone is likely to be.
If you want any of our sources, just follow the link in the post to get our full packet of data. There are hundreds of data points collected from many sources.
Hi,
i recently found out that my dad might have problems with pornogrophy because of the history on the computer but i dont think he had it for too long because i only saw the side effects not too long ago of how he acts with mom. And they have been married happily for about 32 years. I love him very much and i know he hates what he is doing but i dont know how to help and i dont think mom knows whats going on. Scared to tell her anything. Maybe somehow he will stop before it’s time to tell mom. How do i help him? i am praying but what other steps should i take?
You haven’t spoken to him yet about what you’ve found?
You might find this article helpful.
Your dad works hard , everyday, to buys you the technology capable of allowing you to write that very comment, a phone, laptop, etc. He has so much stress, making a marriage work for 32 years & raising you; porn is his vacation, his stressful release; a great relieve that should be privately kept , a parent hardly gets alone time, he will always be superdad, just lay off.
hello, iam a porn addict please tell me the harm of masturbation plz
This post answers that question pretty well.