Just finished a fascinating article in the Globe today about online porn consumption across the United States. Researcher Benjamin Edelman recently published a study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives that provided a snapshot into subscriptions by each state.
The initial finding? Red states are more into porn than any other state.
“Utah had the highest web porn subscription rate of 5.47 for every 1,000 broadband-subscribing households. Alaska ran in at a close second with 5.03 per 1,000 broadband homes. Mississippi, Hawaii and Oklahoma weren't far behind.”
The initial finding? Red states are more into porn than any other state.
“Utah had the highest web porn subscription rate of 5.47 for every 1,000 broadband-subscribing households. Alaska ran in at a close second with 5.03 per 1,000 broadband homes. Mississippi, Hawaii and Oklahoma weren't far behind.”
What could have caused these differences?
"One theory is that people in Utah like adult entertainment more. They're buying more of it because they want more of it," he says. And two? "Adult entertainment could be harder to get in stores in Utah. People in Utah who want this material may be buying it online because they can't get it other ways."
Edelman also suggested that geography could play a large role. For example, Alaska is so far away that ordering porn in adds time and shipping costs. Why not just go online, enter your MasterCard number and go from there? Priceless.
Rounding out the bottom states were Idaho, Tennessee and Ohio (a shocking finding for anyone who has been to Ohio).
So why is this interesting? Well first, this type of model – looking at online subscriptions by location – could provide interesting insights into membership on sites across the Internet; from eHarmony to eBay. Having a grasp on this information could be extremely valuable for advertisers and marketers. Imagine knowing that one state is way more likely to buy your product online vs. another. Why bother with spending dollars on a national media plan when you know that your business objectives could be obtained if 10 states became more active online.
And second? Edelman was able to identify the most popular day of the week for porn consumption on the internet – Monday.
Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase – “I’ve got a case of the Monday’s”
