GÄVLE, Sweden – Surfing porn is one of the 10 fastest-growing internet activities in Sweden, a new study has revealed. Although the percentage of Swedes who admit visiting pornographic websites “regularly” has remained steady at about 4 percent, the percentage of Swedish Web users who have visited an adult site at least once has increased 600 percent since 2003.
Published Oct. 20, the results of a World Internet Institute telephone survey of 2,000 Swedes indicated one in five has spent time on adult websites. Men 25 and younger are the most likely to admit to the practice, with nearly one-third of respondents in that age category copping to the act. Women are catching on, though: 4 percent of women in the same age group reported visiting sex sites, a result researchers called “a massive increase” over previous surveys.
“Women and men have become more comparable in their internet usage,” Sweden-based World Internet Institute Chief Executive Officer Janne Elvelid told the country’s TT news agency. “It’s actually not that surprising that surfing the Web for sex is increasing. Attitudes toward sex in society play a role in how honest people are, as does internet use overall, [and] more and more services are carried out online these days.”
Even though the Swedish seem to be liberating their libidos online more frequently, their sex surfing still pales in comparison to behavior in other countries. The horniest Web users appear to be in the Czech Republic, where 40 percent of surfers admitted to searching for sexual content online. The U.S., where 29 percent of surfers admitted to seeking hardcore material, followed in second place. The U.K. brought up the rear with a sex-seeker percentage of only 14.
Sue Denim is a freelance writer specializing in sexuality and the adult entertainment industry.
