Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse, a professor and postdoctoral student at the University of Montreal, set out to conduct a study comparing the views of men in their twenties who regularly used pornography, to those who had never been exposed to pornographic material. The research project fell at the first hurdle. Why? They couldn’t find a single man who hadn’t seen porn.
Professor Lajeunesse states that:
‘We [the research team] started our research seeking men in their 20s who had never consumed pornography. We couldn’t find any.’
Although hampered in its original aim, the research project has been altered to examine the habits of young men who regularly use pornography – which would apparently be all of the participants. The research team have thus far interviewed 20 heterosexual male university students who observe pornography and have found that, on average, the participants first watched porn when they were around ten years old.
Around 90% of consumption was online, with the additional 10% coming from adult movies on DVD or video. Single men watched pornography for an average of 40 minutes, three times a week, whilst those in relationships watched for an average of 20 minutes, 1.7 times a week. As well as drawing these (somewhat obvious, I think) conclusions, the study also found that men watch pornography that matches their own image of sexuality, and are quick to discard material that they find offensive or distasteful.
All participants in the research project said that they supported gender equality …