UPI News - August 15, 2003
Ed Susman, UPI Science News

Swedish researchers have found only 17 percent of men deny they use the Internet for online sexual activity, while one-third of women claim never to be seeking sex when they surf the Net.

"Some people believe that online sexual activity may be part and parcel of a new sexual revolution," said Al Cooper, director of the San Jose Marital and Sexuality Center at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in California.

In evaluating the study, in which users of the Swedish Internet portal, Passagen, requested users to fill out a questionnaire, Cooper noted:

--More than one-third of men -- 38 percent -- and women -- 37 percent -- said when they are online they often are looking for love contacts.

--Nearly half of the men and women -- about 47 percent -- admit when they are online they like to flirt with others in cyberspace.

--The most common online practice for men is looking at erotica -- either still photos or moving video. About 69 percent of men who engage in online sexual activity said they view such sites and it is the number one reason why they engage in any form of online sexual activity.

--The most common reason why women go online is to stay in contact with a love or sex partner.

"This study confirms a lot about what we have seen in online sexual activity," said Nicholas Aradi, a psychologist in West Palm Beach who deals frequently with the sexual problems of his patients.

"The real strength of the study is the number of people involved ... and especially the high number of women who were contacted," he told United Press International.

Cooper said the study, conducted in the form of a survey, elicited responses from 3,614 individuals, about 45 percent of them women. In his presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, he said most studies of Internet use have attracted women's participation in the 20-percent-or-less level.

"Apart from viewing erotica, more men than women use the Internet to look for a partner, to visit contact sites -- Web sites displaying contact ads -- and to reply to sex ads," Cooper said. "Women, on the other hand, use the Internet more often than men in order to stay in contact with a love or sex partner that they already have. They also report a higher percentage of Internet use for purposes of getting support or education in sexual matters," he explained.

Along with seeking new contacts, men and women who engage in online sexual activity tend to flirt, read erotica, chat with people sharing the same interest and purchase sex products, Cooper said. "Only a few respondents -- 18 men and two women -- said they use the Internet to contact prostitutes," he added.

Cooper said the Swedish study appeared to show increased use of the Internet for online sexual activity by women. "Although the reasons for this remain unclear, they might include the fact that the study more broadly defined online sexual activity to include concepts like love and flirting," he suggested. Cooper also noted Swedish society is more affirming of women's sexuality, and it might be as time progresses more and more women will find the Internet to be an acceptable -- and even preferable -- venue in which to pursue their sexual interests.

Overall, Cooper said the study "found solid corroboration for earlier studies that outlined general patterns of Internet sexuality." The fact that it used different methods of obtaining the information, occurred in a different country and in a different language than other studies indicates, he said, the data obtained are on the mark and should ease concerns about bias among the respondents.

That, he said, could make it possible for future researchers to probe the role of the Internet more deeply, in terms of how people are using it to meet and mate.
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