Individual and Contextual Effects on Attributions about Pornography

This article focuses on individuals' willingness to attribute rape effects to pornography. Using General Social Survey data from 1975 and 1986, the paper examines (1) the attitudinal and experiential variables that shape acceptance of this causal attribution; (2) the impact of elite-level efforts to reframe the pornography issue to incorporate this causal attribution; and (3) interaction effects. The analysis shows the following: 1. Both experience with X-rated movies and a number of other attitudinal and social location variables are significant predictors. 2. There is no evidence of media effects, thus suggesting the limitations of re-framing efforts. 3. There are substantial interaction effects involving gender and both religiosity and exposure to X-rated movies.