By: Divorce, Teen Pregnancy, Porn Rates Highest in Red States - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:30:55 +0000

[...] compass of the nation and that those dirty liberals are ruining American Values. Au contraire. Divorce, Teen Pregnancy, Porn Rates Highest in Red States | America For Purchase [...]

By: Spencer

Spencer — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:39:53 +0000

I’m a scientist. As such, I use statistics and numbers frequently to tell a story. The more I’ve learned about the process, the more I have come to distrust this process.
I’m also a Mormon. I love my faith, my religion, and my church. I have one wife. Always have, always will. So, when I read a paragraph that describes Utah as having the highest porn subscription rates, and the author automatically equates “Utah” to “Mormon Church,” I have a problem, as a Mormon, and as a scientist. In science, we call things that screw studies up “confounding variables.” We also readily acknowledge the difference between a survey or observational study and an experiment. An experiment allows you to infer CAUSATION, while a survey or observational study only allows you to state a CORRELATION. The two are very different. Why? Confounding variables. In an experiment, these variables are controlled for, and in a survey, they are not. So, in this sort of survey it is impossible to imply causation. In this sort of study there are always variables that are unaccounted for and can creep in and affect the results. So, does Utah have a high porn subscription rate because of all the Mormons, and because they abandoned polygamy and have to turn to porn to get their ‘fix’? I think not. That is a huge extrapolation that I would think a lot about before placing a bet on it. Also, “Utah” does not equal “Mormon.” Utah is only about half Mormon (yes, its high, but clearly not all consuming). So, do all those who subscribe to porn in Utah belong to the Mormon Church? Highly unlikely. In my 10 seconds that I spent thinking about this, I thought of a few possible explanations for the difference. I’ll share two.
1) Climate. Look at the top ten, you have ND, Alaska, and Utah. All cold places with long winters and short days and not much to do for much of the year. Not much to do leads to lots of computer time leads to lots of porn time.
2) Indirect effects of Mormonism. Mormons teach chastity before marriage, and fidelity after marriage. Therefore, assuming that half the population in Utah are faithful to these principles, the other half is drastically limited in the opportunities for “extra curricular activities,” if you will. So, while in a place like New York or California there are more opportunities for “swinging,” Utah swingers are deprived by the limited selection of potential mates.
If you think my points are invalid or unfounded, I might agree. However, these explanations are just as likely (if not more likely) then saying that there are more porn subscriptions in Utah because UT is conservative and Mormon and they like to live by the motto “do as I say, not as I do.” Make sense?

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:18:34 +0000

Hi, this is a great article, I am going to twitter this one for you.
This is something similar to what I have been working on recently, but in the form of a real voter guide, LOL.
Your work is always great!

Comments on: Divorce, Teen Pregnancy, Porn Rates Highest in Red States

By: Divorce, Teen Pregnancy, Porn Rates Highest in Red States - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum

By: Spencer

By: Rebecca