Why Utah Leads in Online Porn Consumption

Over the weekend I looked at the phenomenon of the conservative "red states" by and large being the highest consumers of online pornography. Utah, home of the anti-gay Mormon Church, led the way with the highest online porn consumption of any state. Now the Salt Lake Tribune has a story looking at the findings and looking to explain Utah's top ranking. Personally, I suspect the underlying reason is all the Mormon hang ups on sexuality and the lure of the "forbidden fruit." Sexuality is a normal part of the human condition and when it is suppressed and treated as something dirty by institutions like the Mormon Church and the Roman Catholic Church, members will seek ways to satisfy their yearnings. Here are some story highlights:

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A study by a Harvard Business School professor shows that Utah outpaces the more conservative states -- which all tend to purchase more Internet porn than other states. Online porn subscription rates are higher in states that enacted conservative legislation banning same-sex marriage or civil unions and where surveys show support for conservative positions on religion, gender roles and sexuality, according to an analysis published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

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"Even when I control for income, age, education, and marital status, Utah residents still consume disproportionately more than people from other states," said Edelman.

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Another possibility for Utah's top porn billing may be the scarcity of adult entertainment outside the home. "If it is distinctively difficult to get this material in retail locations in Utah, Utah residents who seek such material may have to get it online," said Edelman, in an e-mail.

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Pamela Atkinson, head of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, said other indications, such has Utah ranking second in Google searches for "hot sex" and "naughty," back up what Edelman has found. "What I do know is that from all accounts the problem is really growing in Utah," she said. "People spending more time on the Internet are realizing this is something they can do in the privacy of their own rooms and their own homes."

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Daniel Weis, spokesman for the Colorado-based Christian group, Focus on The Family, said the study "is credible only for what it is studying, which is very little." "My caution is that people do not extrapolate that this is a report for the entire nation," he said. "The fact that conservative-minded people are fighting porn doesn't mean that they go home and look at it."

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Yeah, sure Mr. Weis - just like conservative pastors at New Life Church don't dabble in gay sex with escorts and young parish members.