Red State Porn Purchasing Power

More subscribers to online pornography live in traditionally conservative red states than blue states, according to a study published last week in the American Economic Association's Journal of Economic Perspectives.

Utah leads the country with 5.47 subscribers per 1,000 broadband users, followed by Alaska (5.03) and Mississippi (4.30). California ranked 39th at 2.46.

"The most natural interpretation is that conservatives are buying disproportionately much online adult entertainment," said Benjamin Edelman, the study's author. "Though, to be sure, it's also possible that the minority of liberals in the same regions are the ones making these purchases."

Edelman, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said he adjusted his data to compare states with varying populations and Internet usage, in order to place them all on a level playing field.

Edelman obtained a list of zip codes associated with credit card subscribers from what he described as a "top-10 seller of online adult entertainment" from 2006 to 2008. The company agreed to let Edelman analyze the information if he agreed to keep the company's name anonymous, he said.

The researcher also found a marginally higher rate of porn subscribers in the 27 states that had passed "defense of marriage" amendments to keep same-sex marriages unconstitutional compared to states that had no such laws.

 

 Red State Porn Purchasing Power

San Francisco Chronicle