Utilizing web tracking panel data offers fresh perspectives on the usage of pornography online among Germans. German Catholics, Protestants, and people who identify as religiously unaffiliated are equally likely to consume online pornography, according to a research published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. On the other hand, people who practice minority religions in Germany, such Muslims or Orthodox Christians, had lower rates of internet pornography usage.
The piece appears in the Archives of Sexual Behavior journal.
Von Andrian-Werburg, Siegers, and Breuer merged survey data from panelists with data from a large-scale German online web tracking panel. In general, their findings are consistent with earlier survey-based research from Germany and other nations.
But the study has also produced some new findings, such as the finding that members of Germany’s religious majorities and unaffiliated differ from those of minority religions in terms of the influence of religion on their usage of internet pornography.
Sociologists have studied people’s usage of pornography and what factors are associated with such use. Surveys were employed in earlier studies to gather data. But self-reporting is the foundation of surveys, and that can have drawbacks. People may not give an accurate number because they feel humiliated, or they may underreport their use of pornography because they can’t recall how often they’ve used it.
“Our study confirms some critical findings on OPU from previous questionnaire-based research while extending existing research by providing a more fine-grained analysis of usage patterns based on web tracking data.”
