How People’s Porn Viewing Habits Have Changed During Quarantine

Much has been said and written about how pornography use has changed during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, including on this blog (see here). However, almost all of the information we have so far comes from what a few big tube sites (like Pornhub) are reporting. While the insights they provide are certainly tantalizing, selectively reported data from a handful of companies only offers a partial picture of what’s actually happening in people’s bedrooms right now.

Some of my colleagues and I at The Kinsey Institute are in the midst of researching how this pandemic is affecting people’s sexual and romantic lives (click here if you’d like to participate and learn more about the study), and our preliminary data tell a complex and interesting story about how this situation is affecting people’s porn usage.

We asked extensive questions about porn use in one of our waves of data collection, and here’s what we found.

First, we asked people how their porn viewing habits had changed recently. About 24% of our participants said they don’t watch porn, so of the remaining three-quarters who do, here’s how they answered this question:

·  4.4% said they’re watching a lot more porn

·  18.3% said they’re watching a little more porn

·  42.2% said they’re watching about the same amount of porn

·  18.6% said they’re watching a little less porn

·  16.5% said they’re watching a lot less porn

Put another way, a majority of our participants (58%) said they’ve experienced some change in usage, with about 1 in 4 viewers saying they’re watching more, and about 1 in 3 saying they’re watching less. So while porn usage has certainly increased for some, the overall trend is actually toward less consumption right now.

On average, participants said had watched about 2 hours of porn in the last 2 weeks; however, there was substantial variability across persons, and this average is inflated by a small number of participants who said they were watching a lot more porn than everyone else.

About two-thirds of our sample reported watching an hour or less of porn in total in the last 2 weeks (i.e., 1 hour per week on average). However, about 2% of our sample said they watched at least one hour per day during the same time frame, and 1% said they were watching more than 4 hours per day.

In addition to changes in overall usage, there were several other changes in porn behavior reported. For example, 9.3% reported that they viewed a new type of porn that they’d never seen before. We asked participants to describe what new kinds of porn they watched, and there wasn’t just one thing people were going for.

For example, some participants said they watched gay/lesbian porn for the first time, while others reported watching BDSM, group sex, kink/fetish, incest, or other types of porn, including erotic fanfiction (which some people count as porn, but others do not).

Interestingly, despite all we’ve heard in the media about coronavirus-themed porn popping up on tube sites, few people said they’ve seen any. Just 2.4% of participants said they watched COVID-related porn during the pandemic.

Some are also visiting new porn sites now, too: 9.6% of participants said they visited a new site they’ve never been to before.

However, people appear to be going for free porn over paid porn—just 1.2% of participants said they purchased a new subscription to a porn site.

What we can see from all of this is that there’s vast individual variability in terms of what is going on with respect to porn viewing habits. While the overall trend is toward less consumption, some people are watching more porn than usual—and, of those who are, many of them appear to be mixing it up by watching new kinds of porn and/or visiting new sites.

Have you noticed that your porn viewing habits have changed recently? If so, why do you think that is?

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology ? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook (facebook.com/psychologyofsex), Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit (reddit.com/r/psychologyofsex) to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Image Source: 123RF/Ð?лекÑ?анд Марко

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