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The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago has administered its General Social Survey (GSS) since 1972. Conducted annually until 1994, the GSS questionnaire is now given every other year to approximately 3,000 American adults. It enjoys a response rate from 70-80 percent, and is considered one of the most reliable measures of attitudes about many issues, including race and politics, religion and health. FRONTLINE asked Tom W. Smith, director of the GSS, to control the data from both the 1973 and 2000 surveys for variables such as gender, race, and other factors to get a better idea of how porn-video consumers have changed -- or not changed -- over time. Here are the results.
HAVE YOU SEEN AN X-RATED MOVIE IN THE LAST YEAR?
| Highest Degree Earned | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| Less than High School | 17.8 | 22.9 |
| High School | 30.1 | 25.9 |
| Associate/Junior College | 37.2 | 19.6 |
| Bachelor's | 34.3 | 24.5 |
| Graduate | 40.9 | 23.7 |
| Marital Status | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| Married | 23.3 | 19.2 |
| Widowed | 7.9 | 8.5 |
| Divorced | 20.7 | 24.7 |
| Separated | 33.3 | 21.9 |
| Never Married | 48.5 | 40.4 |
| Sex | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| Male | 32.0 | 32.3 |
| Female | 21.0 | 17.9 |
| Race | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| White | 26.2 | 24.4 |
| Black | 27.0 | 23.1 |
| Other | 27.6 | 28.5 |
| Age | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| 18-29 | 48.1 | 47.7 |
| 30-39 | 30.4 | 27.1 |
| 40-49 | 23.4 | 20.6 |
| 50-59 | 16.7 | 17.9 |
| 60-69 | 4.7 | 10.5 |
| Region* | ||
| Yes (1973) | Yes (2000) | |
| New England | 37.4 | 14.7 |
| Middle Atlantic | 34.0 | 27.0 |
| E. North Central | 22.4 | 23.9 |
| W. North Central | 17.4 | 23.1 |
| South Atlantic | 23.7 | 25.3 |
| E. South Central | 12.7 | 23.4 |
| W. South Central | 28.6 | 24.7 |
| Mountain | 36.8 | 23.1 |
| Pacific | 26.1 | 26.5 |
* New England = Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
* Middle Atlantic = New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
* East North Central = Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
* West North Central = Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas
* South Atlantic = Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, District of Columbia
* East South Central = Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi
* West South Central = Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas
* Mountain = Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico
* Pacific = Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii
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Sources: National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey, 1973; National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey, 2000 | | |
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