Which U.S. State Consumes The Most Porn?
Which US state watches the most porn?
No single state consistently ranks first. A 2009 Harvard study put Utah at the top for paid online subscriptions, but that measured subscriptions only, not the free porn most people watch. Across four data sets, Mississippi lands in the top four every time. The clearer pattern is that nine of the twelve Bible Belt states repeatedly appear in the top ten for porn consumption.
It may or may not surprise you to find out that the US’s Bible belt states have a higher porn consumption on average.
According to two years of Google Trends data examined by Brock University researchers, states that tended to be more religious were also searching for the word sex on the web more than other states.
In fact, the more religious, conservative states used more generalized sex terms in their Google searches when pursuing their secret desires.
The correlation between a higher number of searches for sexually explicit material and religious and political conservatism was independently made by controlling for other variables.
But which state uses the most porn?
Related Article: How To Get Over Porn & Find Lasting Freedom
It’s Not That Simple
In 2017, an article came out stating that Utah was the No. 1 state in the nation for consuming porn. This was according to a 2009 report by Benjamin Edelman, a Harvard economics professor, indicating that Utah was the top state for online porn subscriptions.
His findings are cited in the following article: Red Light States: Who Buys Online Adult Entertainment?
[There were] only two states with subscription rates higher than 3.6 per thousand home broadband users: Utah and Mississippi. Utah topped the list, with 5.47 users per 1,000.
Interestingly enough, in 2016, Utah was the first state to declare pornography as a public health crisis.
Related Article: Florida Declares Porn A Public Health Risk
In his study, Edelman also found a correlation of Christian faith and use of porn. "Subscriptions are slightly more prevalent in states that have enacted conservative legislation on sexuality,” he said, which were exemplified in states that adopted laws to defend marriage and where the statement, “I never doubt the existence of God,” were prevalent.
However, as revealing as these findings are, it is important to note when data from any source is used in research, results must be presented in context of the data that lead to those results. Issues arise when individuals mistakenly interpret a given data source as representing the entirety of the porn industry.
In essence, one cannot definitively conclude that Utah is the No. 1 state as this conclusion is derived from only one source, which only analyzed subscription data, not accounting for the amount of free porn being consumed across a variety of different mediums.
According to a newer study done in 2015 by Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, it’s not that simple to identify which state consumes the most porn.
As you’ll see in the chart below, they analyzed four different data sources to derive more accurate results. You’ll notice the 2009 Edelman data is cited in the third column, with Utah in the No. 1 spot. However, look at the other columns.
What’s interesting to point out is that even though there is not a single state that consistently ranks at the top spot, Mississippi consistently ranks among the top 4 spots across all four independent studies, and even takes the No. 1 seat according to Google Trends in 2013-2014.
In fact, what we can conclude is that of the 12 known “Bible Belt” states (UT, TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, TN, AL, KY, GA, NC, SC), 9 out those 12 states land in the top 10 list for porn consumption, repeatedly, across all four data sets.
Related Article: Record Number Of Americans Think Porn Is ‘Morally Acceptable’
We obviously have a clear and disturbing truth; among the states where there is the most religious zeal, there is an allure to porn.
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How can this be?
Related Article: 15 Mind-Blowing Statistics About Porn And The Church
Rules vs. Relationships
Dr. Ted Roberts is a former Marine Fighter Pilot and pastor who has helped counsel thousands of men to freedom from porn and sexual addiction. He addresses this issue in the Conquer Series, a cinematic study that helps men break free from porn.
Related Article: Who Am I? Knowing Your Identity Brings Freedom From Porn
Citing a study by Patrick Carnes, Roberts tells us 70% of sex addicts came from rigid, disengaged homes. He asks:
What is the definition of a rigid, disengaged home? That is a fundamental evangelical home, which has a lot of rules and not a focus on relationships.
Roberts feels that the emphasis on rules is built on fear.
They are afraid the kids won’t follow the faith, he says. So they have rules for grade school, rules for middle school, rules for high school. Then [the kids] go to college and fall off a cliff.
“The reason kids stray from the path laid out by their parents,” Roberts says, “is that they never really had the faith in the first place.”
Related Article: 15 Mind-Blowing Statistics About Pornography And The Church
“It is difficult because they never inculcated the faith deep down in their soul,”
Roberts explains. As a result, they don’t have a real, in-depth relationship with Christ emotionally. And they were too busy trying to follow the rules!
Related Article: Why 68% of Christian Men Watch Porn
How To Quit Porn
If the Christian church in America became its own state, it would be the highest user of porn with over 68% of churchgoing men viewing porn on a regular basis. Thankfully the Conquer Series is helping men all around the world to conquer porn and find freedom.
Related Article: Why 68% Of Christian Men Watch Porn
The Conquer Series identifies the fact that porn is a brain problem where the user is unable to engage their moral guidance system because their desires override it.
Related Article: This Is Your Brain On Porn
The Conquer Series has become a solid foundation for the movement of men who are conquering porn. It presents a legitimate, grace-filled battle plan to conquer porn and walk in freedom.
Churches and individuals in over 100 countries are using this 10-week course to help their men find lasting freedom.
Order the Conquer Series for personal use, or for your men s small group and help them find true everlasting freedom!
Helping men move from secrecy and shame toward transparency, accountability, and a renewed identity in Christ.
More articles by Marcos Peres →Frequently Asked Questions
Do religious states search for porn more?
Two years of Google Trends data examined by Brock University researchers found that more religious states were searching the web for the word sex more than other states were. The more religious and conservative the state, the more its residents used generalized sex terms when pursuing their secret desires. Researchers made that correlation independently by controlling for other variables, so it is not simply a quirk of population or income.
Why did Utah declare porn a public health crisis?
In 2016 Utah became the first state in the nation to declare pornography a public health crisis. The move followed years of headlines naming Utah as the country's top state for online porn subscriptions, based on a 2009 Harvard report. Whether or not the ranking holds up under scrutiny, the declaration treated porn as a public problem rather than a private habit, which is a shift the rest of the country has been slow to make.
Do strict Christian homes produce more porn addiction?
There is a hard pattern here. One study of sex addicts found that 70 percent came from rigid, disengaged homes, meaning homes with a lot of rules and very little focus on relationship. That emphasis on rules is usually built on fear that the kids will not keep the faith, so parents stack rules for grade school, middle school and high school. Then the kids reach college and fall off a cliff.
Is porn a moral problem or a brain problem?
Both, but treating it as only a moral problem is why men stay stuck. Porn is a brain problem, in which the user cannot engage his moral guidance system because his desires override it. That is how a man can genuinely love God, genuinely hate what he is doing, and still go back tonight. Freedom comes from renewing the mind over time, not from making one more sincere promise to do better.
How many churchgoing men watch porn?
Over 68 percent of churchgoing men view porn on a regular basis. Put another way, if the Christian church in America were its own state, it would be the highest user of porn in the country. That is why a grace-filled battle plan matters more than another sermon on purity. Churches and individuals in over 100 countries now use the Conquer Series to help their men find lasting freedom.
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