Using data from a U. Finally, we found that individuals who reported partnered pornography use during their most recent sexual experience were more likely to report having engaged in oral sex, penile—anal intercourse, and sex toy use and were also more likely to report female orgasm during their most recent sexual experience. Although pornography has long been the subject of controversy Bronstein, ; Heins, , in recent years there has been greater attention to the potential public health implications of pornography use, with scholars noting that pornography use does not meet the definition of a public health crisis McKay et al.
That said, prior research has examined the role of pornography in larger contexts of sexual health and public health issues, for example in terms of associations with sexual aggression Allen et al. However, other research suggests that some of these potential relationships may be attenuated in the presence of other factors. Along these lines, some research has considered whether and how pornography literacy programs may be able to support adolescents and young adults in developing a healthier sense of their own sexuality Dawson et al.
However, there has been no empirical research comparing population-level sexual behaviors with those depicted in porn, which is what the present research aims to do. The acquisition, activation, and application model 3 AM indicates that the congruency between media depictions and reality, or the script—situation correspondence, may increase the likelihood of script activation and application Wright, If sexual partners consume pornography together just before or during sex, 3 AM would suggest the script—situation correspondence would increase activation and possibly application of the behaviors depicted in pornography.
Previous scholarship has defined pornography as material that enhances sexual arousal and which also includes explicit depictions of genitalia and sexual acts Hald, , whereas mainstream pornography has been defined as material created not only for sexual arousal, but also for mass markets and to make a profit Corsianos, In one US nationally representative study, men reported accessing pornography from a broader range of media than did the women participants Herbenick et al.
As an example, in the year for which we analyzed both survey data and pornographic videos there were On both sites content is free, giving consumers easy access to mainstream pornography via the internet. The percentage of Americans who report having recently consumed pornography varies by study, depending on item phrasing Regnerus et al. Although the researchers noted this is higher than earlier population-representative surveys, it is also lower than some surveys within specific demographic categories.
