Survey: 25% of Irish adults have accessed porn in past six months

A QUARTER of all Irish people have used some type of pornography already this year.

One-in-eight Irish people watched a pornographic video on television during the same time.

And 21% of men have looked at it on the internet.

Yet, despite this, a third of adults think its availability has made society more violent.

These are among the findings of an Irish Examiner/Red C survey into the country’s secret adult-only habits.

It found a majority of people believe pornography should not be so widely available, but there was still a healthy market for the material and they do not have a problem with those using it.

In terms of where people go to get pornography, the trend towards new technology is clear.

Four percent of people bought a pornographic magazine this year and one in every 20 adults between 18 and 50 years of age have visited a sex shop.

By contrast 11% of men and women have logged on to adult websites and slightly more have watched a dirty DVD.

The majority of users in all categories are men, particularly those under 25-years-old living in Dublin.

The survey reflects a society with conflicting views about the emergence of adult material as a significant part of the country’s entertainment industry. The majority of men and women still believe the amount of explicit material is excessive.

Significantly, three-quarters of the people feel it is damaging to a child’s attitudes towards sex.

Irish people take a less severe view of adults who use the material and do not consider the production of pornography to be harmful to those involved.

This is reflected by the 60% of people who said pornography was harmless, as long as those using it did not go on to hurt anybody else.

However, even if the majority think it is okay to use pornography, 48% would still be disappointed if they caught their partner with it.

And 36% said it has contributed to a more violent culture.

Regardless of these feelings, with one-in-four Irish people willing to engage with the sex industry in a six-month period, there is a buoyant market here for one of the world’s most lucrative businesses.

* Survey methodology: RED C interviewed a random sample of 687 adults aged 18-50 by telephone between June 18 and 20, 2007. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results weighted to the profile of all 18- to 50-year-olds. Of the 687 adults in the sample, 213 refused to answer these questions leaving us with an effective base of 474 adults.