FYI: Pornography is a Relational Issue – More Statistics

• 51% of US adults surveyed believe that pornography raises men’s expectation of how women should look and changes men’s expectations of how women should behave.

• No Consensus Among American Public on the Effects of Pornography on Adults or Children or What Government Should Do About It, Harris Poll, 7 October 2005. www.harrisinteractive.com
• 40% of adults surveyed believe that pornography harms relationships between men and women.
  No Consensus Among American Public on the Effects of Pornography on Adults or Children or What Government Should Do About It, Harris Poll, 7 October 2005. www.harrisinteractive.com
• 38 percent of adults believe there is nothing wrong with pornography use
  Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
• 42 percent of surveyed adults indicated that their partner’s use of pornography made them feel insecure
  Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
• 41 percent of surveyed adults admitted they felt less attractive due to their partner’s pornography use
  Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
• 30 percent of surveyed adults said their partner’s use of pornography made them feel more like a sexual object
  Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
• For every 10 men in church, 5 are struggling with pornography
  The Call to Biblical Manhood. Man in the Mirror, 6 July, 2004.
• The more pornography men watch, the more likely they are to describe women in sexualized terms and categorize women in traditional gender roles
  The Porn Factor, Pamela Paul. www.time.com. 19 January, 2004.
• Median age for the first use of pornography: boys: 11-13 girls: 12-14
  Your Children & Pornography: A guide for Parents, Tom Buford. Tommera Press, 2001.
• 47.78 percent of families said pornography is a problem in their home
  Focus on the Family Poll, 1 October, 2003.
• According to pastors, the 8 top sexual issues damaging to their congregation are: 57% pornography addiction, 34% sexually active never-married adults, 30% adultery of married adults, 28% sexually active teenagers, 16% sexual dissatisfaction, 14% unwed pregnancy, 13% sexually active previously married adults, and 9% sexual abuse.
  More Sex, Please. Christianity Today International, Winter 2005.
• One out of every six women grapples with addiction to pornography
  Internet Pornography and Loneliness: An Association? Vincent Cyrus Yoder, Thomas B. Virden III, and Kiran Amin. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, Volume 12.1, 2005.

I think there is a general perception that pornography is only a personal problem. There is even a growing tendency of acceptance in our culture under the guise of “boys will be boys” and if you are a “cool” spouse you will just be OK with this behavior and accept it. I just want to make sure our men and women understand that your personal pornography use does deeply affect how you relate to others and the very core of your most personal relationship: your marriage. And this is true whether or not you are currently married. The sexual desires and thoughts you cultivate while looking at pornography will be difficult to dismiss from your mind throughout your life. My goal in sharing this information is not to produce unproductive or large quantities of guilt. Guilt has a short-term purpose: to move you towards progression. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t despair. There is always hope. Falls and mistakes are part of what we signed up for. Let’s just get moving in the right direction.

Very interesting. Where I live (Southern California), many seem to assume that pornography viewing is normal and acceptable and that only a tiny fraction of the population objects to it. I was happy to see that, nation wide, those who object to pornography are not just some tiny fringe element of society.