What did the survey examine?
The report is based on an online survey of 2,000 US adults under age 40. Participants were asked how often they viewed pornography and about feelings of sadness, hopelessness and loneliness.
This is a survey report from the Institute for Family Studies in partnership with YouGov, not a peer-reviewed academic paper. It is therefore best understood as a descriptive account of self-reported patterns in the population surveyed.
What did it find?
According to the report, 32% of young adults who said they viewed pornography at least once a day reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless most or all of the time, compared with 19% of those who rarely or never viewed it.
Loneliness was also reported more often: 36% among daily viewers compared with 20% among those who rarely or never viewed pornography. The report’s authors stated that the association remained statistically significant after adjustment for several demographic characteristics.
How should the results be interpreted?
The findings show an association between daily viewing and self-reported emotional distress, but they do not establish the direction of that association. Frequent viewing might contribute to distress, people experiencing distress might view pornography more often, or both could be influenced by other factors.
Study limitations
The survey relies on self-report data collected at a single point in time. It was not a clinical experiment and cannot establish causation. The survey report is also not a substitute for a professional assessment of depression or loneliness.
