Pornography Viewers
It is of interest to public health to determine the percentage of people who view pornography and to characterize the population of pornography viewers. This chapter presents estimates of lifetime and past-year pornography viewing for US populations, discusses whether pornography viewers consume pornography more frequently than in decades past, and presents estimates for pornography exposure for children and by demographic subgroups. The chapter concludes that pornography use is not rare and is not restricted to only males, young people, or the nonreligious. The chapter argues that the prevalence of pornography use alone is insufficient to qualify it as a public health crisis. If pornography use is both common and causes harm, that would be a compelling argument for addressing it as a public health concern.