Morality and Economics: Public Assessments of the Adult Entertainment Industry

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine citizen attitudes toward the adult entertainment industry. Using the results of a public opinion survey of a northeastern American city, the authors find that morality is more important than economics in attitudes about adult entertainment. The authors look at assessments regarding the number of adult entertainment clubs, the overall regulatory environment, and specific policy remedies for dealing with the industry (police raids, higher taxes, tighter zoning, or clustering establishments). On nearly every one of these factors, religion and morality are more important to people's attitudes than their views about the economic contributions of the industry. These results have important implications for theories emphasizing the economic basis of public policy making.