There are a lot of out of date and inaccurate pornography statistics on the web. Surprisingly, counter to the high level of usage, not much scientific research has actually been done on porn use, and its effects on viewers and their partners. If you take a look around you'll find a lot of numbers from the early stages of the Internet, like the late 1990s and early 2000s, but not much that's more current and reliable.
It turns out that nobody wants to talk about porn, even scholarly researchers. The limited pornography statistics that are available are almost entirely based upon self-report. In other words, asking a man, "Do you look at porn?" Asking someone to be honest about something they do in secret, are ashamed of, and do everything to hide is naturally going to be fraught with the potential for error.
Nevertheless, I've selected several pornography statistics from several recent studies and will explain what they really mean by putting them into real world examples. After all, what purpose do the percentages really provide (other than shock and awe) if we don't know how to apply them to our own lives.
Pornography Statistics Reveal...
Men look at pornography (big surprise, I know). The truth is that a lot of men do. In fact, it's most men.
Simply put, about 3 out of 4 men are looking at pornography. Understandably, the number is higher among younger men and lower among older. Some findings show as many as 90% of young men look regularly, but even men over 50 years of age look -- about 50% of them.
For years most of the women I have counseled have told me they never thought their guy watched porn. "I knew other men did that, but I never thought Greg would." If you're still thinking like this, it's time to change your thinking.
How often do men look? Well that varies. Those who are addicted will look a lot. Heavy users can watch porn and masturbate as much as 10 times a day. Some men look a couple of times a week or even a few times a month. While the frequency may lessen the impact it doesn't change the negative influence pornography has on the viewer.
Pornography stats from a popular porn-sharing site (will go unnamed) estimated that 88 billion porn videos were viewed worldwide in 2015. That is 10 billion more than in 2014. This single website alone gets 2.4 million visitors an hour and had 4,392,486,580 hours of it's videos viewed in 2015 (nearly 4.4 billion hours). A website traffic measuring company found 107 million visitors to porn sites in February 2016 just from within the U.S. alone, nearly double from 10 years earlier.
Only Single Men Look, Right?
Does being married or in a relationship make a difference in using porn? Nope. Not surprisingly, statistics on pornography show more single men look than married, but the difference isn't as big as one would think. One study found more than 2 out of 3 single men look regularly; while a little more than 1 in 2 married men said they do.
One of the problems I am frequently treating today is helping men who are now married or in a committed relationship stop doing the habits they had when they were single, like watching porn or staring at attractive women in public.
Pornography Use Is Changing
More women watch now the latest pornography statistics reveal. Some research has found 34% of young women look. Another study found the percentage of young women looking to be much higher and very close to that of young men, but this trend drops off dramatically for women over 30 years of age.
How do people access it? While Internet pornography can be accessed from any Internet enabled device, one method in particular has become the preferred choice. Smart phones were used to view porn by more than 50% of users in one survey.
"Trying" To Stop Isn't Enough
One common approach stopping porn viewing is using Internet filters or apps that restrict access to porn sites. Unfortunately, apps and filters aren't enough. A recent study found more men with filters installed were looking at porn than those with none. Good intentions and "trying" just aren't enough when it comes to pornography. It's too easy today to get around the different tools available to restrict access. Sadly, the fact is that porn is everywhere.
What can you do? First, take pornography statistics seriously, as well as the likelihood that a man you know is watching it regularly. Second, learn more about porn's effects and why it is bad for you. Finally, get help. No matter if you're a man who wants to stop or a woman who loves a man who's struggling -- we all need help. The truth is that ignoring the risks of pornography or trying to manage it on your own is a mistake.
Here are a couple of older, but nevertheless interesting, pages with more info on porn use - 1) More Statistics on Porn Addiction; 2) An Infographic on Porn Addiction in America.
Looking for More? Check Out These Articles
- Addiction to Porn Happens Faster Than You Think
- Are You Ready To Get Help With Your Porn Addiction?
- Do Men Set Out To Lie & Cheat All The Time?
- Get More Help with a Porn Addiction
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