Gallup: Pornography ‘Morally Acceptable’ for Most Democrats, Agnostics

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 18: A sign at the Pornhub (pornography) booth is displayed at the
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Religiosity and political affiliation are the two factors that most divide Americans in their views of pornography, with Democrats and non-religious people the most likely to say it is morally acceptable, Gallup revealed Tuesday.

“For the first time on record,” Gallup reports, “a majority of Democrats (53%) say pornography is morally acceptable,” while only about half that share of Republicans (27%) believe pornography to be morally unproblematic.

The acceptance of pornography among Democrats jumped by 11 percentage points in just one year, from 42% in 2017 to 53% in 2018. In the seven years since 2011, the percentage of Democrats approving of pornography has risen by 21 points, the new poll found.

Among Republicans, on the other hand, approval of pornography has also increased but by a much smaller margin (2%), from 25% in 2017 to 27% in 2018. Republicans’ moral acceptance of pornography has grown by 11% during the past seven years, from 16 to 27% viewing pornography as “morally acceptable.”

Regarding religion, the gap is even more striking. Among Americans who say religion is “very important” to them, just 22% deem pornography morally acceptable. When it comes to the group for whom religion is “not very important,” a remarkable 76% approve of pornography.

Other demographic factors also affect Americans’ moral evaluation of pornography, though not as much as religiosity or political affiliation.

Gender, for instance, also impacts views on pornography, as 53% of men and only 32% of women approving. Similarly, perspectives on pornography also vary according to marital status: 50% of non-married Americans say they find it morally acceptable, while only 35% of married people agree.

Age, finally, is another indicator that affects people’s views of pornography.

Sixty-seven percent of younger males, aged 18 to 49, approve of pornography, while only 36% of males over 50 years of age say the same thing. Concerning women, while only 23% over 50 years of age believe pornography is not morally problematic, the percentage increases to 41% for the group between 18 and 49 years.

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