Last night I came across a poll dealing with marriage and pornography on www.about.com.  9,952 visitors commented on the question of whether pornography had hurt their marriage.  The results were quite shocking to me.  31% (3,093) said yes and 65% (6488) said no.  A smaller percentage said now and then, and only one percent said they were unsure.
 
The entry displayed the poll with no explanation of how the material was compiled or any conclusions.  There were just some links for some suggested reading.  I contemplated just what the 65%, or no, meant.  Did this mean that people that answered this way never had pornography introduced to their relationship? Or that viewing of pornography hadn’t or wasn’t affecting their relationship?

I followed a couple of the links and discovered a section under each article listed entitled “Readers Respond.   The underlying current was that pornography was the source of many heartbroken and bitter spouses, women and men alike. Over and over I read about individuals whose self-esteem had been lowered - who felt that their “soul mate was selfish and very inconsiderate of their feelings. 

Does pornography have a harmful effect on marriages?  I feel that the poll should be accompanied with an explanation, but as far as my research suggests- pornography and marriages don’t mix well.

Poll link: http://marriage.about.com/od/pornography/qt/pollporn.htm