Poll: UK public backs curbs on porn

Press release: The UK public supports stricter regulation of pornography, according to exclusive new polling for CARE.

Savanta polling of more than 2,000 UK adults found that 7 in 10 people support the appointment of a Pornography Commission to ensure that illegal or violent porn is removed from websites and social media.

8 in 10 people said directors of companies that own porn sites should be held responsible for illegal material on their platforms and face fines or jail, and 3 in 4 supported this for social media company directors.

In addition, a total of 6 in 10 people agree that laws on pornography should be the same for content viewed offline, such as DVDs, and content viewed online, such as major porn websites.

For each of the questions, support was highest among female respondents: Q1: 75% female/59% male; Q2: 83% female/75% male; Q3: 83% female/72% male; Q4: 75% female/67% male.

The study comes as an independent Pornography Review is ongoing. A public call for evidence to inform this review closes today.

'Public wants tougher action'

Louise Davies MBE, Director of Advocacy and Policy at CARE, said the polling demonstrates "strong support for tougher action on porn".

Ms Davies added: "The internet is awash with illegal content. Child sexual abuse material is no longer hidden away on the dark web, it is found on mainstream websites. Non-consensual and abusive material is also prevalent. We urgently need to appoint a Pornography Commissioner to ensure that vile content can be reported and removed.

“The public also wants to see site owners held to account if they fail to remove illegal and harmful content. In Canada and America, women have taken court action against sites that published explicit material without their consent. People should not be forced to defend themselves. The Government needs to hold owners and directors of websites accountable and punish businesses that continue to platform illegal material.

“CARE has campaigned for many years to see parity in laws governing online and offline porn. If people have viewed pornography on a mainstream, well-known platform, it is likely they have watched content that is illegal to stream, download or distribute and have committed an offence. Websites need to be held to the same standards as shops. A Pornography Commission would provide much needed regulatory oversight in this area.”

About the polling

Savanta polled 2,256 UK adults on behalf of CARE. Full data tables are available here: Omni_W198_CARE_tables.xlsx (live.com)

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) is a social policy charity, bringing Christian insight to the policies and laws that affect our lives.

Contact us: press@care.org.uk