Development of a Questionnaire for a Future Survey of Pornography Use by USD Students

Pornography (porn) —imagery depicting explicit sexual acts – is commonly consumed by American adults. A Relationships in America survey reveals that 46% of American men ages 18-39 view porn weekly, 56% monthly, and 69% annually. Among women, those figures are 16%, 26%, and 40% (Regnerus, Gordon, & Price, 2016). In the spring of 2020, our undergraduate team decided to conduct a future survey of porn consumption by USD students. Our goals included establishing the percentage of students who regularly consume porn, the type of porn consumed, and the effects porn has had upon their personal lives. Gender differences in porn use will be investigated. Although COVID restrictions slowed our conduct of an actual survey, we recently completed the questionnaire. In our poster presentation, we will present key sections of the survey instrument. History of porn use items will assess whether first exposures to porn were accidental, coerced, or intentional. Those who have intentionally consumed porn will be asked how frequently they use porn and what types (e.g., sexual orientation and ethnicity of actors) have ever been used. The use of amateur porn and home-made sex tapes will be assessed. Another item set will ask participants if and how consuming porn affects their sexual behavior. A standardized scale assessing problematic effects of consuming pornography (e.g., addictive watching) will be utilized (Bothe et al., 2018). Finally, personality traits of sexual sensation seeking (Kalichman, 2020), and depression (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) will be measured