Pornography: a Poll

On one crucial point the Meese commission is fully in tune with most Americans: both consider pornography a worrisome problem. A poll taken for Time by Yankelovich Clancy Shulman found that nearly two-thirds of the respondents* are "very" or "fairly concerned" about the pervasiveness of pornography in the U.S. Not surprisingly, porn is much more troubling to women than to men; precisely half of all women said they were "very concerned," while only 27% of men were similarly bothered. Overall, the proportion of people who want the government to crack down harder on pornography has varied only slightly since Yankelovich first asked the question in 1974. It was 74% then; it is 72% now.

Despite these broad concerns, only a minority of Americans agree with the commission that pornography in general is socially harmful, although they tend to concede that specific forms can be destructive. Some of the survey's most notable findings:

The effects of pornography

Only 38% of those polled agree that sexually explicit movies, magazines or books have "harmful effects upon people" (48% of the women do so, but just 27% of the men). More surprisingly, 45% believe that such materials either do not "change what people are like" or actually have positive effects on them. A plurality (47%) agree that sexually explicit materials "can be healthy as a marital aid" (44% consider this not true, while 9% are not sure). Similarly, 44% concur that pornography can "provide a useful outlet for people who are sexually frustrated" (41% disagree and 15% are uncertain). But such apparent tolerance fades when respondents are asked about specific adverse effects.

Sexually explicit movies, magazines,

books:

True Not true Men Women

(true) (true)

Lead people to be more sexually promiscuous 65% 28%

60% 70%

Encourage people to consider women as sex objects 61% 34% 50% 71%

Lead to a breakdown of social morals 57% 38% 44% 69%

Lead people to commit rape 56% 37% 47% 63%

Lead people to commit acts of sexual violence 54% 38% 43% 64%

Defining pornography

The survey asked which of the following were pornographic and which should be illegal. The responses:

Pornographic Should be illegal

Female nudity in a movie 35% 32%

Nude men or women in a magazine 46% 35%

Topless nightclubs or bars 52% 38%

Books describing sex acts 56% 36%

X-rated movies 77% 43%

Heterosexual intercourse in magazines 84% 50%

Homosexual acts in magazines 86% 57%

) Though 52% of the women polled consider nude photos in magazines to be pornographic, only 39% of the men do so. Similarly, 59% of women rate topless nightclubs as pornographic, but only 44% of men. Women were consistently more willing than men to make all of the items

on the list illegal.

*The survey questioned 1,017 Americans by telephone July 7 to 9. The potential sampling error is plus or minus 3%.

Exposure to pornography

While Americans may be uneasy about pornography, many are familiar with it. The percentage of men and women who had read or seen each of the examples at least once:

Past year Ever

Female nudity in a movie 54% 81%

Nude men or women in a magazine 43% 84%

Topless nightclubs or bars 11% 38%

Books describing sex acts 37% 69%

X-rated movies 38% 62%

Heterosexual intercourse in magazines 23% 58%

Homosexual acts in magazines 25% 46%

Should such access continue?

Whether or not they consider some forms of pornography to be harmful, 78% of the respondents agree either strongly or in part that people should have a right to buy it. A solid 66% agree with the statement that "pornography is a fact of life. Most people like to look at pornography at least occasionally." They split equally on whether "most pornography is acceptable to me" (49% agree, 49% disagree).

Skin magazines on the shelves

Men and women differ sharply on whether the selling of magazines with nude pictures should be outlawed in local stores. The responses:

Total Men Women

Yes 59% 49% 67%

No 35% 44% 27%

Don't care 4% 4% 4%

Not sure 2% 3% 2%

Should sodomy be outlawed?

Despite the recent Supreme Court decision upholding laws against sodomy, Americans are reluctant to let government interfere in private sexual practices. Fully 72% of men and 67% of women agree, at least in part, that sexual practices are "up to the individual to decide for himself or herself." Nonetheless, those questioned were willing to regulate some specific sex acts. The percentage of those who would allow federal or state authorities to limit or outlaw:

Yes Men Women

Certain sex acts between adult men

and women 26% 26% 26% Certain sex acts between two adult men 45% 49% 40% Acts of oral sex 30% 30% 30% Acts of anal sex 47% 51% 44%