Study finds online porn may reduce the incidence of rape

Could online porn be responsible for a decrease in rape cases? A Clemson University study suggests it might. Todd Kendall, an economics professor at Clemson University, published a study that found “the arrival of the internet was associated with a reduction in rape incidence.”

He notes that “association” is not causality, but he does point out that “it is notable that growth in internet usage had no apparent effect on other crimes.” The rate of forcible rape in the past 15 years has declined 30 percent nationwide, according to Bob Dyer in a recent column on Ohio.com.

Meanwhile, he reports that “never has pornography been more readily available.” Dyer attributes the decrease in rapes at least in part to the increased prevalence of porn.

Many people aren’t buying it. When Dyer spoke to Karen Cimini, a psychologist at Akron Family Institute who specializes in sexual issues, she said that rape ”has more to do with control and power.”

Using her theory, online porn would have little to do with a decrease in rape cases. She told Dyer that the decline could be due to the fact that ”perhaps we’re getting better at protecting ourselves.”

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), nearly one in six women and one in 33 men will be the victims of sexual abuse in their lifetimes. RAINN reports that only six percent of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.