An Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the people of Ireland that we need to have a national conversation about porn. At Newstalk this week, on air and online, we are starting that conversation.
All this week, Newstalk will be turning its attention to all matters pornographic; on the radio and the website, Newstalk will broadcast and post a week of content and programming examining the impact porn is having on Irish people’s lives from every angle.
Who’s consuming porn, and what do we even consider it to be? Do we share it with our partners and how does it affect our sex lives? At what age do we first come across it and when does it become an addiction? How has our national understanding of indecency been defined or is this nothing to be ashamed of?
Ahead of this week’s national discussion about porn, Newstalk commissioned RED C to poll 1,000 people across the country to investigate their attitudes towards and consumption of pornography.
According to research, 67% of Irish people admit to having ever consumed porn, with 35% saying that have watched hardcore videos.
[RED C/Newstalk]
The survey also found that 8% have shared naked pictures or pictures of their private parts, 45% have read or watched erotic books or movies and 56% have looked at pictures of people in the nude.
The average age that people claim to have first consumed porn is 17-years-old, but one-in-three say their first experience was before turning 16.
[RED C/Newstalk]
The Red C survey also found homemakers were the least likely to admit to consuming any kind of porn.
Almost one in 10 adults claim to currently consume porn at least weekly, while 14% claim to consume monthly.
Those currently admitting that they consuming porn alone at least monthly are more likely to be men, in younger age groups and single.
The majority of adults 18+ (72%) believe that porn does give false expectations in sexual relationships, with women (75%) and those in younger age groups most likely to feel this way.
[RED C/Newstalk]
Three in five (60%) are worried about children sending or receiving explicit photos, rising to 69% among all those with dependent children 16 or under.
Experts say that porn can be a healthy part of sex, so over the next week, Newstalk will be thrashing out the role of porn in modern Ireland, our attitudes and experiences of porn, and the differences in attitudes to porn among various age groups.
Newstalk are dedicating this week to finding out how porn is affecting the lives of the nation, from Monday 20th March at 7.00am as part of #pornweek.
