Poll: Americans vs. porn

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Nearly three-quarters of Americans consider viewing pornographic videos or Web sites to be morally unacceptable, according to a new survey.

The poll by Harris Interactive found 73 percent of the 997 adults surveyed answered “no” when asked, “Do you consider it to be morally acceptable to view pornographic Web sites and videos?” About one out of five (21 percent) of the poll respondents answered “yes” to that question.

Porn viewing was condemned more strongly by women (81 percent) than by men (64 percent). The group most likely to say pornography was acceptable was made up of men ages 18 to 34, of whom 44 percent answered “yes” to the poll question. Among women 55 or older, by contrast, 90 percent said it was unacceptable to view porn.

The survey refutes recent claims of widespread public acceptance of porn, said Robert W. Peters, president of Morality in Media, which commissioned the Harris poll, conducted by telephone July 7-11.

Mr. Peters said “most pornography is consumed by a relatively small percentage of males who are hooked on it.”