Pornography Consumption, Education, and Support for Same-Sex Marriage Among Adult U.S. Males

Paul J. Wright; Ashley K. Randall

doi:10.1177/0093650212471558

Pornography Consumption, Education, and Support for Same-Sex Marriage Among Adult U.S. Males

¹Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
²University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Paul J. Wright, Department of Telecommunications, Indiana University, 1229 East 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. Email: paulwrig{at}indiana.edu

Abstract

Many consider same-sex marriage the civil rights issue of our time. Although support is on the rise, there are some Americans who oppose same-sex marriage. Heterosexual males are a demographic group particularly likely to oppose same-sex marriage. Mass media and education are often thought of as important agents of socialization in American culture. Pornography in particular is a platform often discussed in terms of its impact on males’ sexual attitudes. This study used nationally representative three-wave longitudinal data gathered from adult U.S. males to examine the over-time interplay between pornography consumption, education, and support for same-sex marriage. Support for same-sex marriage did not prospectively predict pornography consumption, but pornography consumption did prospectively predict support for same-sex marriage. Education was also positively associated with support for same-sex marriage. Scientific and social implications of these findings are discussed.

Article Notes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.