First Ever 'Viner Fetish Survey

Photo by Alexia. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)

Prologue, Caveats, and Excuses

I want to begin by saying that this article started as a joke. I mentioned over on Myk's thread that I was conducting research for an article on 'Viner fetishes...and next thing you know I was getting emails, asking if I was really going to do it. So I figured, why not? We are all up in each other's business, anyway, I might as well go ahead and ask a bunch of people terribly personal questions and write up the results. Honestly, I figured I would get maybe a handful of responses. Enough to write something amusing, but probably not really meaningful.

Was I ever wrong.

Forty 'Viners agreed to answer a survey about their sexual inclinations. Unfortunately, as the results came rolling in, I became increasingly annoyed with my own survey. I had never expected to wind up with a useful amount of data, and now that my results exceeded my expectations, I found that I wanted to create something truly meaningful from all the information being so generously given me. This desire only increased when researching the sexual practices of non-'Viners...and finding that apparently few respectable examinations of sexual kink proclivity exist in our time (!!). But here I was, with the survey already sent out to many, and it was simply too late to change the questions. So I have attempted to compensate for the flaws in the original survey by asking questions of respondents who seemed unsure of an answer, prying a little deeper in an effort to at least keep the answers to these questions as accurate as possible. Despite the fact that the original questions left much to be desired, I feel that the results are accurate as far as they go, and really quite fascinating. If there is interest, I would like to take this even further, by conducting a more extensive, serious, and completely anonymous (these guys had to trust me -- thank you all so much) survey in the near future. But more about that later.

I also want to state that it is important to understand the distinctions between "paraphilias", "fetishes", and "kinks". Technically speaking, a "paraphilia" is a debilitating sexual obsession. That is, in order for a sexual preference to qualify as a paraphilia it has to really screw up your life in some way. While the list of various sexual preferences in my survey was taken whole-hog from Wikipedia's list of paraphilias, the phrasing of the questions in my survey did not attempt to uncover technical paraphilias. Instead, I used the list as a selective sampling of possible interests, and respondents answering "yes" to any of them were merely expressing an interest in the activity or item, rather than a pathological obsession. Also, it is important to note that technically, the term "fetish" can only be applied to a sexual activity which is strongly preferred or necessary in order to reach sexual fulfillment, which also is a bit beyond what I asked my respondents. The best term for what is covered here is probably "kink", a slang term implying that the respondent finds, in reality or in fantasy, that a particular act increases their sexual enjoyment.

As a final foreword, I want to state that while all of the participants are and shall remain anonymous, please bear in mind as you discuss this topic that every one of them is probably reading this thread. Many of them admitted to interests well outside what is considered culturally "acceptable", and it takes a lot of courage to do so. Some of the interests admitted to are illegal, many are considered immoral. This does not mean that those who have admitted interest in the more controversial kinks have, or ever intend to, act upon their desires. I encourage an open-minded, considerate discussion on this column, in which everyone can hopefully learn a lot and become a little more comfortable with their own sexuality. I will not, however, permit any insults or baiting on this thread. If you can't discuss a particular kink politely, please leave the discussion of that particular act to those who can.

And now, to the good stuff

What follows is the complete questionnaire sent to the participants in this project, along with a summation of the responses. Where appropriate, I have commented on the results, drawing comparisons with the results of other surveys where possible, or noting flaws I feel were present with this one.

1. Are you male or female?

male - 32 (80%)
female - 8 (20%)

Note: One of my participants has brought it to my attention that asking for a strict polarity on gender is unfair to many people. This is, of course, quite true, and stands as another flaw in my original survey.
I really wish there had been a more equal representation of females in the participants, but while female presence on Newsvine is growing, we still have many more men than women on the site. I suspect that despite the disparity in representation, the numbers here actually reflect the approximate percentages in the site, overall.

2. What is your current age?

18-25 - 5 (12.5%)
26-35 - 11 (27.5%)
36-45 - 16 (40%)
46-55 - 5 (12.5%)
56+ - 3 (7.5%)

Again, I could have wished for a more even distribution of ages in the participants, but I believe the sampling to be representative of the site as a whole.

3. How many sexual partners have you had in your life? (approximate, if necessary)

0-5 - 15%
6-20 - 37.5%
21-50 - 32.5%
51-100 - 5%
100+ - 7.5%

Here, we find our first significant difference with other modern surveys. In a Mosher, Chandra, & Jones survey in 2005, men aged 30-44 reported having an average of 6-8 sexual partners in their lifetime. Women aged 30-44 reported an average of 4. Pulling only from respondents to this study who fall into that age range, our average is 27 sexual partners so far. The average for all ages of 'Viners reporting is 42 partners thus far. Clearly, our desire to learn goes well beyond politics and literature.

4. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi-sexual, or other? How firmly attached do you feel to that definition of yourself?

Straight (firmly attached) - 57.5%
Straight (at least somewhat flexible) - 22.5%
Bi-sexual - 12.5%
Gay - 5%

In the same Mosher, Chandra, and Jones survey mentioned above, 90% of men and women considered themselves heterosexual, 1.8% of men and 2.8% of women considered themselves bi-sexual, and 2.3% of men and 1.3% of women considered themselves homosexual. Even combining the strongly heterosexual and somewhat flexibly heterosexual in our midst, we are significantly off the average. I did not list a "flexibility" rate for bi-sexual or homosexual respondents, as most respondents who answered that they were bi-sexual indicated a general flexibility about the concept, while those respondents who indicated that they were homosexual were very strongly attached to that definition of themselves.

5. How would you define your overall sexual nature? (yeah, be creative, go ahead)

This was one of my favourite sections of the survey, as it gave people a chance to talk, in their own words, about how they viewed themselves and sexuality in general. The general trends in response to this question were that a large majority of us consider ourselves to be adventurous and at least somewhat experimental in the sack. Many of us mentioned how very important sex is in our lives, something actively sought rather than just a great thing if it's available. Quite a few respondents mentioned that they look for intelligent, interesting partners, rather than physical beauty. Obviously, it would take up far too much space in this column to list all answers to this question, but here is a fairly representative sampling:

Adventurous, fun-seeking, thrill-seeking, for me it's not the destination-it's the ride!

Very uninhibited within reason, of course. But sex isn't the be all and end all of my existence and I've turned down a lot of women in my time for a variety of reasons even hot ones. Never have been particularly fond of the bar pick-up. I like to get to know a woman first.

The boring answer is to say that my nature is dominant. The more accurate answer is to say that I use sex like any other artistic medium. It's fascinating to be creative with sex, with touch, with sensation, with pain, with excitement. Private (or not-so-private) performance art. I love to figure out what makes my partner tick and slowly give it to her, or withhold it; to create a little erotic world where nothing exists but the intensity of the moment.

I have several unfulfilled fantasies. I'm probably too passive or not aggressive enough to really get what I want, but I enjoy sex as often as possible.

Insatiable... not in the I always want to have sex sense, but in the I always want to try something new sense.

6. Please answer "yes" or "no" to the following list of paraphilias, with "yes" indicating that you have enjoyed or think you would enjoy such an experience, and "no" indicating, well, that you wouldn't (and, ok, "I don't know" if you really have no idea, but please try to figure it out):

And this is where most of my irritation with my own methods applies. While many bizarre and interesting practices were listed, many of them really required shades of grey not present. Ideally, I think each fetish listed needs a range of attraction from which the respondent can choose, based on how enjoyable they find it. Also, many of the more common sexual practices such as light bondage or spanking were not listed, leaving the respondents to wonder if they had to try to squeeze into the category of "sadists" or "masochists" to cover a preference not really related to pain at all. Note: percents listed reflect the number of respondents answering "yes" to each item.

• Abasiophilia: love of (or sexual attraction to) people who are lame or crippled and/or who use leg braces or other orthopaedic appliances - 7.5%
• Acomophilia: sexual attraction to baldness (also hairless genitalia) - 40% Many respondents to this question indicated that it was specifically hairless genitalia, rather than baldness, which was the attraction.
• Acousticophilia: sexual arousal from certain sounds - 62.5% This is one question which I felt really could have used clarification and a range of possible responses. I feel that "sounds" is too general. Some respondents indicated specifics on this, such as sounds of others having sex, or the sound of rain on the roof, but the survey would have been more informative if a variety of options had been presented.
• Adolescentilism: sexual pleasure from acting or dressing like an adolescent; not to be confused with ephebophilia, which is sexual attraction towards adolescents - 5%
• Ailurophilia: a form of zoophilia—sexual attraction to cats - 5%
• Algolagnia: sexual pleasure from pain - 32.5% Again, a range on this one would have been nice, as "pain" can vary from liking to be lightly bitten to liking to be vigorously whipped.
• Amaurophilia : sexual arousal by a partner whom one is unable to see due to artificial means, such as being blindfolded or having sex in total darkness - 52.5%
• Amputee fetishism: divided to acrotomophilia (sexual attraction to amputation or amputees) and apotemnophilia (sexual arousal from having a healthy body part amputated) - 5%
• Anaclitism: sexual arousal from wearing or using baby objects - 0%
• Andromimetophilia (also gynemimetophilia): sexual attraction towards women dressed as men or who have had a sex change operation - 15%
• Anesthesia fetishism: sexual arousal by the idea of anesthesia and the equipment related to its use - 5%
• Apodysophilia : desire to undress (see nudism) - 57.5% I am really surprised, given this percentage, that no Vinemeets have yet wound up with everyone naked...
• Aquaphilia: arousal from water and/or in watery environments, including bathtubs and swimming pools - 60%
• Aretifism: sexual attraction to people who are without footwear, in contrast to retifism - 12.5%
• Autoabasiophilia: sexual attraction to oneself being lame or crippled - 0%
• Autogynephilia: love of oneself as a woman (see Blanchard, Bailey, and Lawrence theory for discussion on controversy) - 7.5% So this one is complicated and a bit confusing. According to the theory, this can only apply to males who feel a deep attachment to the idea of themselves as female (the associated controversy arose in debates over gender-reassignment therapy). Realistically, though, I see no reason why women cannot be in love with their own feminine identity, even to the extent of being aroused by looking at our touching themselves. Both men and women responded "yes" to this, and I am letting it stand.
• Autoassassinophilia: sexual arousal from fantasizing about or staging one's own murder - 0%
• Biastophilia: sexual pleasure from committing rape - 17.5% Nearly all who answered "yes" to this question clarified that they liked the idea as fantasy or roleplay
• Blastophilia: sexual pleasure from explosions - 7.5%
• Blood fetish (also haematophilia): sexual attraction involving blood (either on another person or the liquid itself) - 5%
• Breast expansion fetish: sexual arousal to the gradual or sudden enlargement of breasts - 12.5%
• Breast fetishism: sexual arousal by a certain size or shape of the breasts or nipples - 55%
• Celebriphilia: pathological desire to have sex with a celebrity - 17.5%
• Chrematistophilia (also harpaxophilia): sexual arousal from paying for sex or being robbed by one's sexual partner - 5%
• Chronophilia : sexual attraction to a partner of the same chronological age, but whose sexuoerotic age is discordant with that chronological age - 22.5% There was some confusion with this one, and some explanation required. As I understand it, the idea is a partner your own age, but who is either extremely sexually inexperienced for that age, or precociously experienced.
• Cock and ball torture (also phalloorchoalgolagnia ): sexual arousal by the administration of painful stimuli to the male genitals - 5%
• Coprophilia: sexual attraction to (or pleasure from) feces - 0%
• Covert incestiphilia: arousal from non-contact sexual behavior with a child - 5%
• Crush fetish: sexual arousal from seeing small creatures being crushed by members of the opposite sex, or being crushed oneself - 2.5%
• Dacryphilia: sexual pleasure in eliciting tears from others or oneself - 12.5%
• Dendrophilia: sexual attraction to trees and other large plants - 5%
• Diaper fetishism (also autonephioplia ): sexual arousal from diapers - 0%
• Doll fetish (also pediophilia): sexual attraction to dolls - 5% Again, some clarification as to whether we are talking china dolls or the "adult novelty" variety would have been helpful.
• Emetophilia (also vomerophilia): sexual attraction to vomiting - 0%
• Endytophilia: preferring to have sexual activity while fully clothed - 12.5% I only included those responses which indicated that this was a distinct preference for its own sake.
• Ephebophilia (also hebephilia): sexual attraction towards adolescents - 15%
• Erinaceuannephilia: sexual arousal from hedghehog Annes And this is what happens when you are lazy and just copy a list from a site like Wikipedia. Sorry, guys...
• Erotic asphyxia: sexual attraction from asphyxia (also called "breath control play" or "strangulation"), including autoerotic asphyxiation - 32.5%
• Erotic lactation (also galactophilia or lactophilia): sexual attraction to human milk or lactating women - 10.3%
• Eproctophilia: sexual attraction to flatulence - 0%
• Exhibitionism (also autagonistophilia or peodeiktophilia): sexual arousal by engaging in sexual behavior in view of third parties (also includes the recurrent urge or behavior to expose one's genitals to an unsuspecting person) - 38.5% Many folks indicated that their "yes" was in response to the first part of the definition, rather than the second. Clearly, we need two categories for this.
• Faunoiphilia: sexual arousal from watching animals mate - 10%
• Fecophilia: sexual arousal from defacation or watching a partner defecate, particularly on oneself - 0%
• Fetishism : the use of non-sexual or inanimate objects or part of a person's body to gain sexual excitement. 50% Although a list of selected examples followed this question, most opted to simply respond "yes" or "no" to the list as a whole. Future surveys clearly need to break the possible specific fetishes into categories, such as "fabrics", "body parts", "tools and appliances", etc.
• Some specific fetishes:
  Balloon fetishism -
  Bike fetish – Dental braces fetishism – 2.6%
  Fur fetishism – 7.5%
  Hand fetishism – 5%
  Leather fetishism – 10%
  Lipstick fetishism – 2.5%
  Panty fetishism – 2.5%
  Rubber fetishism – 2.5%
  Silk/Satin fetishism – 12.5%
  Smoking fetishism – 2.6%
  Sneezing fetishism –
  Spandex fetishism – 5.1%
  Spitting fetishism –
  Uniform fetish - 12.5%
  
• Fat fetishism (also lipophilia): sexual attraction towards overweight or obese people - 10%
• Food play: sexual arousal from food - 32.5%
• Formicophilia: sexual attraction to smaller animals, insects, etc. crawling on parts of the body - 5%
• Forniphilia: sexual objectification in which a person's body is incorporated into a piece of furniture - 10%
• Frotteurism: sexual arousal from the recurrent urge or behavior of touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person - 5%
• Garment fetishism : sexual arousal from a type of garment (clothes, uniforms, gloves, leather, socks, etc.)- 45%
• Gastergastrizophilia: sexual arousal derived from the sight of or sensations associated with someone (usually female) receiving punches in the stomach; also known as "bellypunching"- 0%
• Geisiphilia: sexual arousal associated with tasting an unfamiliar flavour; especially a theoretical "original flavour" - 5%
• Gerontophilia: sexual attraction towards the elderly - 2.5%
• Hebophilia : sexual attraction to adolescents (those who are no longer children, but have not completed puberty) - 5%
• Heterochromophilia: sexual attraction towards people of a different skin colour - 50%
• Homeovestism: sexual arousal by wearing the clothing of one's own gender - 12.5%
• Human animal roleplay: sexual arousal by having oneself or a partner taking on the role of real or imaginary animal - 10%
• Hybristophilia: sexual arousal to people who have committed crimes, in particular cruel or outrageous crimes - 5%
• Hypephilia: sexual attraction to fabrics - 15%
• Hypnofetishism: sexual arousal to being hypnotized, hypnotizing others or viewing others being hypnotized (usually directed in a popular cultural depiction of mind control , hypnosis or brainwashing) - 12.5%
• Impregnation fetish : sexual arousal to the possibility or risk of impregnation through unprotected vaginal sex - 12.5%
• Incestophilia: sexual attraction to a member of one's own family - 5%
• Jock sniffing: sexual arousal from sniffing unlaundered jockstraps - 0%
• Katoptronophilia: sexual arousal from having sex in front of mirrors - 42.5%
• Kattyphilia: sexual arousal from young, beautiful Greek women - 42.5%% Gah. See note for "Erinaceuannephilia".
• Kleptophilia: sexual arousal from stealing things - 2.5%
• Klismaphilia : sexual pleasure from enemas - 5% Some way of distinguishing pleasure in giving from pleasure in receiving would have been nice.
• Koumpounophilia: sexual arousal from buttons - 0%
• Ludophilia: sexual attraction to games (or, in more recent years, video games) - 10%
• Lust murder (also homicidophilia or erotophonophilia ): sexual arousal from committing (or trying to commit) murder - 2.5%
• Macrophilia: sexual attraction to giants or giant body parts (such as breasts and genitalia)—the opposite of microphilia - 10%
• Masochism: the recurrent urge or behavior of wanting to be humiliated, beaten, bound, or otherwise made to suffer - 20% This, like sadism and algolagnia, really needs shades of grey.
• Medical fetishism: sexual arousal to medicine related objects or activities - 7.5%
• Microphilia: sexual attraction to miniature people or miniature body parts—the opposite of macrophilia - 5%>/li>
• Mysophilia: sexual attraction to soiled, dirty, foul or decaying material - 0%
• Narratophilia: sexual arousal in the use of dirty or obscene words to a partner - 52.5% Well, we gather on a site with a primary focus on writing...what did you expect?
• Navel fetishism: sexual attraction to the human navel - 27.5
• Necropedophilia: sexual attraction to the corpses of children - 2.5%
• Necrophilia: sexual attraction to corpses - 2.5%
• Nepiophilia (also infantophilia): sexual attraction to children three years old or younger - 0%
• Nyotaimori (Japanese term): sexual arousal by eating sashimi or sushi from the body of a (usually naked) woman - 20% Hard for many to distinguish the fascination of the naked woman (as furniture, even) from the act of eating sushi off of her...
• Nose fetishism (also nasophilia): sexual attraction to the sight and touch of human noses - 10%
• Oenophilia Sexual arousal from wine - 25%
• Olfactophilia: sexual stimulus with smells or odors - 42.5% Much like acousticophilia, I would have liked to see some specific examples offered, here.
• Omorashi (Japanese term): sexual arousal to one's or a partner's feeling of having a full bladder - 5%
• Paraphilic infantilism: sexual pleasure from dressing, acting, or being treated as a baby - 2.5%
• Parthenophilia: sexual attraction to virgins - 17.5%
• Pecattiphilia: sexual arousal from committing sins or from feeling guilt (also includes stygiophilia—the specific thought of going to hell) - 10%
• Pedophilia: sexual attraction to prepubescent children (British spelling: paedophilia) - 2.5%
• Pictophilia: sexual attraction to pictorial pornography or erotic art -- 62.5% No surprises, here. Interesting to note, however, that a 2005 study indicated that only 14% of people had ever visited a sexually explicit website. Either we're way different, or we're getting our erotic pic fix somewhere besides the internet (and what are the odds on that?).
• Plushophilia: sexual attraction to stuffed animals - 2.5%
• Pregnancy fetishism: sexual attraction to childbirth or pregnant women - 15%
• Pyrophilia: sexual arousal through watching, setting, hearing, talking or fantasizing about fire - 12.5%
• Raptophilia: sexual arousal at the idea of being raped - 22.5% As with biastophilia, many noted that this was only in the realm of fantasy or roleplay.
• Robot fetishism: sexual attraction to machines, especially robots or androids - 20%
• Sadism: deriving pleasure, or in some cases sexual arousal from giving pain - 22.5% See note for "masochism", above.
• Salirophila: sexual arousal by ruining (only the appearance of) the object of one's desired partner - 0%
• Savantophilia: sexual arousal to mentally challenged individuals - 0%
• Schediaphilia (also toonophilia): love of (or sexual arousal towards) cartoon characters - 22.5%
• Shoe fetishism (also retifism ): sexual arousal from shoes - 7.5%
• Sitophilia: sexual arousal by involving food in sex - 42.5%
• Somnophilia: sexual arousal from sleeping or unconscious people - 22.5%
• Spectrophilia: sexual attraction to ghosts - 5%
• Statuephilia: sexual attraction to statues or mannequins or immobility - 12.5% This needed a breakdown into "statues or mannequins" or immobility.
• Sthenolagnia: sexual arousal from the demonstration of strength or muscles - 20%
• Stigmatophilia : sexual focus on a partner who is tattooed or scarred - 25%
• Symphorophilia: sexual attraction with stage-managing a disaster, such as a traffic accident - 2.5%
• Technophilia: sexual arousal from techno or technology - 15%
• Telephone scatologia: being sexually aroused by making obscene phone calls to strangers - 5%
• Telephonicophilia: sexual arousal in explicit phone conversations - 52.5%
• Teratophilia: sexual attraction to deformed or monstrous people - 0%
• Tickling fetishism (also acarophilia): sexual pleasure from being tickled or the sensation of itching - 20%
• Tightlacing : sexual arousal by wearing or having a partner wear a tightly laced corset - 27.5%
• Tamakeri (Japanese term): sexual arousal from having a male kicked in the testicles by a woman - 0%
• Total enclosure fetishism: sexual arousal by having the entire body enclosed in a certain way - 7.5%
• Transformation fetish: sexual arousal from depictions of transformations of people into objects or other beings - 2.5%
• Transvestic fetishism (also transvestism): sexual arousal by wearing the clothing of the opposite gender - 7.5%
• Trichophilia: sexual arousal from hair - 12.5%
• Troilism: sharing a sexual partner with another person while looking on - 42.5%
• Urolagnia : sexual attraction to urine, including urinating in public, urinating on others, and being urinated on by others - 12.5%
• Urophagia : sexual attraction to drinking urine or watching others drink urine - 5%
• Vorarephilia (also gynophagia): sexual attraction at the thought of being eaten by or eating another person or creature. It includes endosomataphillia—a sexual fetish of being within someone (a sub-genre is partial unbirthing—a sexual attraction to inserting an adult head into a vagina) - 2.5%
• Voyeurism: sexual arousal through secretly watching others having sex (also includes scoptophilia—the recurrent urge or behavior to observe an unsuspecting person who is naked, disrobing or engaging in sexual activities) - 47.5%
• Wakamezake (Japanese term): sexual arousal by drinking alcohol from a woman's body - 27.5%
• Wet and messy fetishism: sexual arousal by having substances deliberately and generously applied to the naked skin, or to the clothes people are wearing (sometimes) - 22.5% Some specifics here would have been helpful.
• Wing fetishism: sexual attraction to wings, often those of angels or demons - 12.5%
• Xenophily: sexual attraction to foreigners (in science fiction, it can also mean sexual attraction to aliens) - 22.5%
• Yeastiality: sexual arousal from intercourse with bread - 2.5%
• Zelophilia: sexual arousal from jealousy - 7.5%
• Zoophilia: emotional or sexual attraction to animals - 7.5% "Emotional" attraction to animals definitely needs clarification.
• Zoosadism: sexual gratification derived from causing pain and suffering to animals. Necrozoophilia (also necrobestiality) strictly applies to killing animals - 0%
• Newsvinophilia: sexual gratification from having sexual contact while either you or your partner continue to browse and comment on Newsvine - 43.6% Only 43.6%...I am baffled (though some of you did say you had to think about it).

• Do you have any other fetishes or 'philias not on the list? Please list.

  This is list of fetishes offered up over the forty responses. Clearly, though the list sent out was painfully long, it was not nearly enough.

  achluophilia - sexual attraction to darkness
  acrophilia - sexual stimulation from heights
  aviatophilia - sexual arousal from flying
  brontophilia - sexual arousal from thunder and lightning (x2)
  chorophilia - sexual arousal from dancing
  coimetrophilia - sexual arousal from cemeteries
  daimonophilia - sexual arousal from demons (x3)
  amychophilia - being scratched (x2)
  geliophilia - laughter
  sesquipedalophilia - long words
  wind
  driving fast (x4)
  music (listening and performing)
  sex in places where it is possible to get caught (x3)
  outdoor sex
  taking surveys about sex Vanillaphilia - the attraction to others who like it plain and simple (which is not to say boring)
  Trains (x2)
  Smart people (and watching smart people do smart things -- watching someone code is hot, getting involved in an intellectual debate is hot). men on motorcycles
  paul newman smoking
  light bondage is fun from time to time (x5)
  Web Cams (x2)
  Erotic Chat/Email
  young, slender women with small breasts
  the female bottom (x3)
  latex
  feathers (using)
  eyes
  pubic hair
  cunnilingus, analingus (performing)

7. Have you ever been sexually attracted to someone you met on the Internet? 75%
While not directly related to fetishes and kinks, I felt that examining our sexual interactions over this medium would be of interest to the Newsvine community.

8. Have you ever engaged in the equivalent of phone sex using chat or email with someone you met on the Internet? If not, do you think you ever would? Have - 60%
Have not, but would -15%

9. Have you ever engaged in sexual activities on the Internet, using a game platform such as Second Life? If not, do you think you ever would? Have - 17.5%
Have not, but possibly would - 20%

Most of the respondents who indicated that they "possibly would" indicated that really, they were just waiting for the technology to get better.

10. What is your idea of "safe sex"? This was another open question, designed to allow for a large variety of responses. There were many interpretations, but though most respondents did address the need for proper disease and pregnancy prevention, many went on to include the need for emotional care as well. Several people mentioned that there truly was no such thing as "safe" sex. Again, quoting all respondents would take up far too much space, but here is a representative sampling:

So...safe sex? For god's sake, know your partner. It's all hot to make out with somebody you barely know and all, and that's fine; if you're doing that, keep things high-school and don't exchange bodily fluids. You've got hands; use 'em. Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you have to have sex on the 'first date' or whatever. Get to know your partner -- find out if she gets tested and tell her whether or not you get tested (P.S.: GET TESTED REGULARLY, MORON). If you can't have an honest discussion with your partner about sex, then you probably shouldn't be having it. Bring your own condoms with you like a good Boy Scout....and use them.

No one gets hurt.

Assuring that both (all) partners avoid anything that would cause them physical or emotional harm.

Any sexual activity that does not spread disease or results in pregnancy. From that angle, anything goes as long as those conditions are met.

Making sure she can't run away.

11. How do you think you compare to the "average" person? Kinkier or less kinky? More sexually active or less?

A slight majority (52.5%) of respondents answered that they felt they were kinkier than the average person. A majority (57.5%) also responded that they thought they were more sexually active. Clearly we are not average folks, here, and as there are no reliable surveys to which I can compare this data, the mystery will have to remain a little longer.

Musings and Conclusions

It is important to consider, when looking at the results of this survey, respondent bias. That is, those who are willing to respond to a survey of this sort (particularly given that they knew I would be reading their answers with their names connected) are more likely to be fairly open about their sexuality, in general. I think the flaws inherent in the survey have by now been made pretty clear. Nevertheless, there are some provocative indicators which emerge when reading through the data. For one, it was interesting to see that a large number of sexual partners did not necessarily correlate to being particularly kinky. In many cases I found that those with the largest number of partners actually listed the least number of kinks, and vice versa. One possible theory to explain this is that perhaps those with fewer partners have longer relationships with those partners, allowing for a greater level of trust and therefore a broader exploration of sexual fantasies.

Looking through the results, I was surprised by the prevalence of some, and equally surprised by the lack of interest in others. For example, we hear about shoe fetishism all the time, and yet only 7.5% of the forty respondents answered "yes" to that one, as contrasted with the 12.5% who answered positively to arefetism (feet without shoes). The prevalence of amaurophilia and aquaphilia I expected, but I was surprised by the number of respondents who answered "yes" to heterochromophilia, a desire for those of a different skin color. Most respondents live in the United States, and all in "westernized" societies, where we are constantly reminded of racial tensions. And yet a solid half indicated that they were specifically attracted to those of other races. Are we, here at Newsvine, different than most of our culture? Are we attracted to those of other skin colors because of aesthetics, or because of a desire to overcome the tensions in our societies? The questions provide quite a lot of food for thought.

Other kinks on the list I expected to be slightly prevalent, but not to the extent to which they apparently are. Somnophilia and tight-lacing are in this category, as well as apodysophilia and erotic asphyxia. Perhaps much has to do with the age range of the large majority of the respondents: old enough to have had time to experiment, but young enough to have escaped some of the "moral" pressures older generations had to overcome.

In conclusion, while I think the results of this survey are well worth discussing (and I am really looking forward to discussing it with you all), I would like to try a part two if there is enough interest, with more careful questions allowing for more accurate results. Another bonus of a second round would be that I could set it up on a site where all respondents would be completely anonymous, and I would only see the results. Please respond to the poll above, so that I can gauge interest in this second survey.

I want to take a moment and thank everyone who participated in this survey. You trusted me with terribly personal information, and I am honored by that. Please rest assured that all emails have been deleted. If I could, I would send each and every one of you a dozen roses and a box of chocolates (nevermind how terribly unscientific of me that would be). As it is, I hope you enjoy reading the results of your effort!

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