This study explores the behavioral implications of financial stress on online pornography consumption across ten major Russian cities during the years 2019–2021. Using a panel data set reflecting urban digital behavior and macroeconomic uncertainty, the author uses fixed-effects regression techniques to estimate the impact of financial volatility on daily pornography viewership. The findings indicate a consistent and statistically significant positive relationship between financial stress and pornography consumption. The analysis incorporates pandemic-related controls, including lockdown periods, COVID-19 case surges, seasonal temperature effects and national holidays. These results underscore the role of digital escapism as a coping mechanism during times of economic uncertainty and crisis. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of stress-induced digital behaviors in transitional economies, presenting implications for public mental health frameworks, digital platform governance and socioeconomic policy design in Russia.
Nisarg Joshi (Mon,) studied this question.