News
Featured Image
A new study found 10.3 percent of performers were "physically hurt during a film shoot," but a former porn star says it's really much higher.Shutterstock

A new study shows that while nearly 40 percent of self-identified Christian men believe they watch “excessive” porn, 64 percent of Christian men watch porn at least once a month.

“What we are seeing can almost be described as epidemic,” said Joel Hesch, the founder of Proven Men Ministries, which sponsored the poll.

“Viewing pornography can quickly turn into a very real addiction. Just like drug or alcohol use, what starts off as a seemingly innocent or fun act can quickly spiral out of control,” says Hesch. “If left unchecked, it will consume your time, energy, and resources. Once hooked, it’s hard to break loose.”

While the group says that further results of the study will be released in coming days, the first portion, released this week, also found that 65 percent of non-Christian men use pornography at least monthly, virtually mirroring the number of Christian men.

Women viewed pornography far less frequently than men, with 15 percent of Christian women and 30 percent of non-Christian women admitting to watching porn at least once a month.

The poll also found that 29 percent of men aged 18 to 30 watch porn daily, as did 21 percent of men aged 31 to 49. Fifty-five percent of married men watched pornography at least once a month, as did 70 percent of unmarried men.

Click “like” if you say NO to porn!

Few women watched pornography more than “a few times a year.” Women aged 18 to 30 were most likely, at 42 percent of poll respondents, and only 16 percent of women aged 31 to 49 did the same. However, 25 percent of married women viewed pornography at least once per month, compared to 16 percent of unmarried women.

Few women thought they watched excessive porn or thought that they have an addiction. Eighteen percent of all men thought they might have, or do have, an addiction, and 51 percent of Christian men said that they do not believe they watch porn excessively.

For men and women who are struggling with porn addiction, Hesch says the answer is “time and accountability.”

“It’s not simply a matter of recognizing that you have a problem,” he said. “The greatest success for breaking and remaining free is working with a network partner or a group of men in your church or community for encouragement and accountability.”

Pornography has been linked to harm across the viewing spectrum, from those watching it, to their families, to the “performers,” especially women, in porn films.