Americans, Christians increasingly viewing porn, study says

Porn use in the United States is a rising problem, Pure Desire Ministries Executive Director Nick Stumbo said on Tuesday. People across all genders, social classes, and religious groups are struggling with pornography, Stumbo added. Pure Desire Ministries and the Barna Group on Tuesday released a study surveying nearly 3,000 U.S. adults—many of them practicing Christians—and their experiences with pornography use.

The Barna Group last studied pornography use eight years ago, according to CEO David Kinnaman. Since then, porn use has skyrocketed. Kinnaman attributed that rise to isolation caused by the pandemic, the proliferation of sexualized content across social media platforms, and growing cultural acceptance of pornography.

What are the numbers on porn use? Two out of every three Americans reported using pornography, according to a summary of the study. More than half of practicing Christians reported viewing pornography at least occasionally. Roughly four out of every five men and two out of every five women reported viewing pornography, according to the summary. One in five married adults admit to using pornography at least weekly, but roughly one in three adults report that their spouse or partner regularly uses pornography.

How do those viewing pornography feel about it? Roughly half of those viewing pornography say no one knows of their habit. More than 40 percent of Americans say viewing pornography does not affect their lives, even though research shows pornography negatively impacts users’ mental health.

As for those with a spouse or significant other who regularly uses pornography, roughly two-thirds of married men characterized it as a positive experience. Only one in 10 men said their partner’s use of pornography was a negative experience. Roughly half of women with a partner using porn said it was a negative experience, while about 20 percent said it was a positive experience.

Is the church doing anything to address this? Even though more than 50 percent of Christians say it's important to them that their church helps those struggling with porn use, only 10 percent of Christians say their church offers programs to do so. But three out of every four pastors are privately ministering to individuals struggling with pornography addiction, the study found.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column in WORLD Opinions about how freedom of expression should not be used for sexual self-expression.