Condom use 'significantly less common' among those who watch porn, study finds
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Condom use is “significantly less common” among young men and women who watch pornography, according to a new study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
The ESRI study also found that watching porn was associated with higher levels of aggression and coping with stress by drinking alcohol.
It also revealed that men who watch pornography have poorer wellbeing than those who don’t watch it, are less satisfied with their lives, report more depressive symptoms, and have a poorer self-image.
“Poorer wellbeing is found among pornography users, especially men,” report co-author Professor Emer Smyth said.
“There is value therefore in addressing use, and potentially problematic internet use in general, through mental-health promotion measures.”
The study, funded under the HSE’s Health and Wellbeing, Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme, looked at pornography use among 4,500 young adults at 20 years of age.
It found that 64% of young men reported watching porn, compared to just 13% of young women. Those who identified as religious or where parents monitored their internet use reported less pornography use, while men from more advantaged backgrounds were more likely to watch it.
The ESRI said: “Young people who are more reliant on the internet or (in the case of men in particular) their friends rather than their parents for information about sex are significantly more likely to use pornography. LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly women in this group, are more likely to use pornography.”
However, it was the data around condom use and poorer wellbeing that stood out as statistically significant in the study.
“The sexual script theory posits that viewing pornography provides specific sexual guidelines, which can influence adolescent sexual behaviours. The portrayal of sex in pornography, where sexual encounters occur mostly without condoms, may mean that young people perceive condomless sex as common and normative.”
The ESRI said that reinforcement of public-health messaging around the importance of condom use for prevention of sexually transmitted infections may therefore be warranted.
Recent data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre showed that more than 4,000 sexually transmitted infections were recorded in Ireland in the first nine weeks of the year, a 3% rise on 2023.
“The potential mechanisms underlying the association between pornography use and poor mental health and wellbeing include anxiety about body image and sexual performance, increases in relationship dysfunction and greater isolation and low self-esteem from compulsive pornography use,” the ESRI said.
“For both men and women, the results also suggest that those who use negative strategies to cope with stressful situations are more likely to use online pornography.”
The report concludes that a new SPHE curriculum at senior cycle will provide space for addressing these issues among young people in schools, but more hours could be needed.