Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers; Utah tops the list

[Richard Tafoya]

New Scientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16680-porn-in-the-usa-conservatives-are-biggest-consumers.html

A new nationwide study (http://people.hbs.edu/bedelman/papers/redlightstates.pdf) (pdf) of anonymised credit-card receipts from a major online adult entertainment provider finds little variation in consumption between states.
"When it comes to adult entertainment, it seems people are more the same than different," says Benjamin Edelman (http://www.benedelman.org/) at Harvard Business School.

However, there are some trends to be seen in the data. Those states that do consume the most porn tend to be more conservative and religious than states with lower levels of consumption, the study finds.

"Some of the people who are most outraged turn out to be consumers of the very things they claimed to be outraged by," Edelman says.

...

The biggest consumer, Utah, averaged 5.47 adult content subscriptions per 1000 home broadband users; Montana bought the least with 1.92 per 1000. "The differences here are not so stark," Edelman says.

Number 10 on the list was West Virginia at 2.94 subscriptions per 1000, while number 41, Michigan, averaged 2.32.

Eight of the top 10 pornography consuming states gave their electoral votes to John McCain in last year's presidential election – Florida and Hawaii were the exceptions. While six out of the lowest 10 favoured Barack Obama.

[pinky]

We know Regis spends a bit of time on the computer, but he's not here at the moment.

I wonder what site he's on? :devil:

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Hypocrisy among conservatives and religious folks? Say it isn't so!

[tiger_rascal]

Sounds fuzzy to me. If they dont have exact details as to who the consumers are, all the liberals in the conservative states could be buying the porn.

Porn is over-rated anyway.

I wonder, which state has the most production of porn?

[tiger_rascal]

Porn a "major California industry"?

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/would-a-porn-tax-hurt-sales/

The tax might raise revenue — that depends how many producers go elsewhere; but it will certainly reduce output in this major California industry.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

That makes sense, Chad. California is the nation's home of the film industry. All kinds of films, including porn.

[pinky]

Sounds fuzzy to me. If they dont have exact details as to who the consumers are, all the liberals in the conservative states could be buying the porn.
Possibly, not not logically. If it's mostly the liberals who are buying porn, then the total porn consumption would be higher in the more liberal states.

Utah also has the highest differential of Republicans over Democrats.

Maybe it spiked while Republican men were fantasizing about Sarah Palin? :p

[tiger_rascal]

That makes sense, Chad. California is the nation's home of the film industry. All kinds of films, including porn.

My point is, why judge other states that may be more conservative than others for watching porn, but not be a little more harsh on the liberal state that actually produces the porn. Perhaps Cali is burned out on all the porn watching? I dunno.

And EWWW! pinky at the Sarah comment. :sick:

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Chad, the article is about consumers of porn. The story is that those who are most outraged are the same who are buying it.

California doesn't apologize for having a large porn film industry. They aren't hypocrits about it.

[tiger_rascal]

Alrighty then. Im just saying, just so its clear that conservative states may be watching the porn but a liberal state makes up the largest sum of producers of the stuff. Whats the point? I guess there really is no point. Whats the big deal again?

[DoubleEdgeSword]

You missed the point, Chad. Those who are screaming the loudest about porn being BAD are the ones who are watching it.

[pinky]

If no one was buying it, no one would be producing it. ;)

[tiger_rascal]

So Cali and the porn producers and porn actors have the conservatives to thank for their money? :laugh:

[tiger_rascal]

Thats one way to try to help the economy. :laugh:

[pinky]

Yes, the hypocritical conservatives.

[tiger_rascal]

Is it really that general? Are all conservatives that way? Really?

[DoubleEdgeSword]

What? Did you read the article?

[tiger_rascal]

Yes. Im just trying to take this into a little context is all.

[Java]

There's most probably a logical reason for these seemingly improbable results as I would hazard to guess that in a more conservative society where such things as porn are not as readily available in real life, the internet being equally accessible to both conservative as well as liberal societies, balances this flow by allowing 'closet pornsters' to access porn through cyberspace.

Putting it another way, if conservatives and liberals both loved to play golf but the liberals had better access to golf courses than conservatives, and meanwhile there was also an online version to play that both could equally access, the conservatives would make up the higher proportions playing online.

[pinky]

Is it really that general? Are all conservatives that way? Really?
No more than all West Virginians are toothless inbreds.

Really, Chad, no one is making that generalization.

[Java]

Hmmm... I just tried Googling online golf and discovered a free 18 hole game listed at the top of the page but found the results (even in the cached copy too) to be totally unacceptable! How dare them!

[Richard Tafoya]

It's really just the reality that things that are the most forbidden are often the most desired to many people. You tell someone they can't touch the dessert in the kitchen and they'll figure out a way to taste it.

[db44]

There's most probably a logical reason for these seemingly improbable results as I would hazard to guess that in a more conservative society where such things as porn are not as readily available in real life, the internet being equally accessible to both conservative as well as liberal societies, balances this flow by allowing 'closet pornsters' to access porn through cyberspace.


Yeah, that's what I think. In states that actually have billboards that say "porn is bad," now all these people can nod their heads, and not have to worry about being seen going into a porn shop. Instead, thay can talk the talk, but go home and boot up whatever they wish.

As opposed to a town like New York or Hollywood, where people aren't picketing outside of porn shops usually. No need to feel embarrased or shunned. But something tells me if I tried to stop in a shop when I drove through Kansas (I think I passed one on the interstate... Kinda shocking considering those billboards I passed), I would have had to put up with harrassment.

As for Cali producing porn, I remember laughing my first time in Hollywood, how one of the big porn companies (the one that had Jenna Jameson at the time) had its offices right at the exit of Universal Studios and Universal City Walk.

I wonder what sort of thing said Conservatives would say about this survey... A breach of privacy?

[oxymoron]

All the Porn is made in the Valley. I drive through those neighborhoods some time. There is quite a vibe.

[oxymoron]

I think the more important issue here is the belief in free market vs government. When you have a free market driven by demand, you get a lot of investment in and consumption of products and services like pornography. When the government spends the money, you get public education, healthcare, security for the elderly, roads and bridges, national defense, the creation of the internet...You make the choice.

[Richard Tafoya]

Actually, the major distributors are based in the San Fernando Valley. Probably the majority of material is created in the area, but there's quite a bit created outside of California and just distributed by the California companies.

Just as with the music industry and all media channels, the lower cost of equipment and technology to create professional or near-pro-quality music and video and publish content of every sort has made it possible for just about anyone with a desire to be a writer/moviemaker/musician/producer to do it in their home and put it up on the web.

[spitItOut39]

Actually, the most downloaded and purchased porn currently is AMATEUR PORN. The porn industry has had to adjust by marketing amateur porn, or making made porn look amateur. Driving through the valley and feeling porny vibes sounds quite suspicious, are you an 'actor?'