Examining the Effects of Men's Magazines on Men's Perceptions of Women Through Cultivation Theory

Abstract

This survey study examines the effects of viewing non-pornographic men's magazines, pornographic magazines, and Internet pornography on men's perceptions of women. The 108 men surveyed reported their demographic information; viewing habits of non-pornographic men's magazines, pornographic magazines, and Internet pornography; and their perceptions of women as sex objects, less moral than men, and less intelligent than men in an online survey. Using Pearson correlation, the findings suggest that interest level in non-pornographic men's magazines and overall usage of Internet pornography were positively correlated to the perception of women as sex objects. In addition, frequency and overall length of usage of pornographic magazines were positively correlated to the perception of women as less intelligent. Multiple regression findings show that only the overall usage of Internet pornography was a predictor of the perception of women as sex objects. Neither test yielded significant results for determining the perception of women as less moral than men.