The majority of Irish people believe pornography is harming society, a RedC survey commissioned by Women's Aid has found.
75% of people agree that pornography makes children and young people vulnerable to requests to share intimate images and videos while 81% of 18-25 year olds believe that pornography is increasing young men’s interest in seeking rough or violent sex.
The majority of respondents (71%) believe the Government and tech companies should do more to protect young people and children from exposure to pornography and must do more to support victims of image-based sexual abuse.
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Women's Aid noted that despite a majority consensus in the survey, there was a "very notable and statistically significant difference between male and female attitudes and levels of concern about pornography".
CEO of Women’s Aid, Sarah Benson, said: "While the majority of men (60%) agree that pornography is harmful to society, the level of concern is significantly higher among women (82%).”
“This gendered difference in opinion is consistent across almost every area of concern. The survey also found that there is a majority belief that pornography undermines men’s respect for women, but not that it reduces women’s respect for men.
“This is most likely explained because pornography consistently and disproportionately portrays women in extreme degrading, humiliating and dehumanised ways – and because the most negative impacts of pornography in Ireland are experienced directly by women and girls,” Ms Benson said.
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