Types of porn consumed: Implications for prevention programming

This study examined and compared different student group characteristics in responses to questionnaire items on sexual violence and pornography. Methods closely mirrored similar studies published and conducted at other universities. 1551 students responded to items on various forms of pornography. Initial comparisons showed responses that consistently differed by gender with men reporting higher rates of viewing (.001); all comparisons were conducted separately by gender. Three forms of pornography were assessed: magazines, movies and use of internet. Furthermore, categories of soft pornography and hard pornography were assessed; group response patterns were almost identical on soft and hard porn measures (P.05);

• non-heterosexual students consistently reported viewing all Forms of pornography more than their counterparts.

• Ethnicity showed no discernable patterns in viewing differences

• Religious practices showed no discernable differences for males but did so for females

• Divorced men and women living with partners showed consistently higher patterns of viewing

Practitioners should realize that there are no meaningful differences in viewing patterns of porn by our demographic characteristics other than by gender. Since viewing pornography has been closely associated with increased risk of sexual abuse and increased risk of contraceptive failure it is important for program planners to not make assumptions on group identities; the majority of college students in this sample consume porn. This has implications for teenage pregnancy prevention, STI prevention, and sexual abuse prevention program planning. It is realistic to conclude that many sexually active individuals may be using pornography as one source for modeling their behavior.