University students’ attitudes towards pornography : a comparative study

Abstract

This research study aimed to identify and compare the attitudes of students within the University of Malta using quantitative methodology, with the goal of answering the research question ‘What attitudes do students at the University of Malta hold towards pornography?’ Students’ views have been formed within our society and because of many factors they may have a positive, negative or neutral perception of pornography, while also having an interest in the restriction or freedom of pornography in society. The data was collected using a standardised test with a convenience sample of 261 participants (102 males) that are currently enrolled at the University of Malta. The data tested differences in the population’s attitudes while considering sex and age, together with attitudes towards restriction; and tested secondary hypotheses regarding positive and negative attitudes and frequency of use of pornographic material. Moreover, the data was analysed using three SPSS tests namely the Friedman test, Chi-Square test and the Mann Whitney including three scales, namely the ‘Positive Scale’, ‘Harmful Scale’ and ‘Restriction Scale’. The results of this study show significant differences in attitudes towards pornography, with females scoring higher on the harmful and restriction scales, however there are many similarities. On the other hand there are significant differences between the younger and older adult groups on the positive scale. The results show that males watch pornography more often than females, and that the majority of the sample believes that pornography should not be restricted.