LOS ANGELES — France’s leading survey institute, IFOP, revealed that couples find Internet-based sex games and activities — including watching porn — to be a relationship enhancement tool, Cam4 announced yesterday.

“This survey shatters certain preconceptions about pornography,” the IFOP report states. “It also provides an update on usages and modes of [porn] consumption, which have evolved significantly over the last 20 years.”

Conducted on a representative national sample of over 1,000 Americans, age 18 and over, the IFOP survey revealed pornography consumption has become surprisingly widespread. It also explored masturbation connected with sexualized use of the Internet and new modes of communication, such as smartphones and webcams.

The survey showed consumption of adult material, which was admitted to by 90 percent of all American men and 60 percent of women, is highest amongst individuals who have the most partners, or who are more sexually active, going against the age-old assumption that pornography viewing serves as a substitute for a sex life.

The survey also revealed 53 percent of Americans watch adult material as a couple, and 66 percent said they would watch porn with their partner if it was asked of them. Cam4 interpreted the study’s findings an example of diminished shame surrounding open use and enjoyment of porn.

“Many of the pre-conceived notions people have about porn, webcam shows and the adult industry as a whole are unfairly based on outdated information, taboos and media myths,” said Jas Kase, Cam4 director of marketing and sales. “The statistics show pornography has fully integrated itself into our society and can be utilized as a positive, healthy way for people to explore their sexuality.”

The influence of porn on relationships is also noted in the study. According to the survey, 54 percent of Americans who have watched a pornographic video say they have also engaged in sex while simultaenously viewing. A majority of participants also said that viewing adult materials inspires them to be “more creative and try positions and situations found in the videos watched.”

“By giving couples a way to break their routine, pornography has changed and may now become meaningful in a marital setting, where it appears to be a way of spicing up a couple’s sex life,” said Francois Kraus, IFOP research director.

The IFOP survey was conducted over the Internet, from Dec.19-26, using a sample of 1,023 people aged 18 and over.

The representativeness of the sample was ensured by the quota method (gender, age, income, marital status) after stratification by region. Due to the intimate nature of the subject addressed, IFOP chose a method of auto-administration by computer, removing the bias created by the presence of an interviewer. The researchers believed this allowed for freer expression by individuals who would not have wanted to discuss certain subjects in the presence of an interviewer, or a person from their household.

XBIZ