This JackinWorld Survey was conducted over the course of about 5 days in February 2004 and was open to males of all ages. After duplicate, frivolous, significantly incomplete, and digitally garbled responses were eliminated, exactly 5,000 responses remained. These were processed into a database, imported into a spreadsheet program, and tallied. Except where noted, percentages shown include only those who chose a response to the question. Here are the results:
1. What was your age at your last birthday?
Average age of those responding: 22.9 (range: from 11 to 84)
JackinWorld's average reader is two years older than it was is 1997, when we conducted Survey #3.
2. In what part of the world do you currently live?
* United States: 68.8%
* Canada: 8.3%
* Mexico: 0.5%
* Central America: 0.2%
* South America: 0.7%
* Western Europe: 13.0%
* Eastern Europe/former Soviet nations: 0.8%
* Middle East: 0.2%
* Africa: 0.5%
* South/Southeastern Asia: 2.0%
* East Asia/Pacific Islands: 1.0%
* Australia: 4.0%
3. Which of the following best describes how you learned to masturbate to orgasm?
* I figured it out by myself, or discovered it by accident: 55.3%
* I figured it out by myself, based on things I had heard, read, or seen in videos: 25.3%
* I was told or shown how to do it by a relative: 3.7%
* I was told or shown how to do it by a friend or other acquaintance: 11.4%
* I learned about it from JackinWorld: 2.4% (maximum age: 22)
* I learned about it from a Web site besides JackinWorld: 0.7%
* I learned about it from a book or magazine: 1.1%
* I have never masturbated to orgasm: 0.1% (maximum age: 21)
4. On average, how many times per week would you say you masturbate to orgasm?
* 1 times or less per week: 3.9%
* 2 to 4 times per week: 36.7%
* 6 to 8 times per week: 37.1%
* 9 to 14 times per week: 16.3%
* more than 15 times (more than twice per day): 6.1%
Approximate average masturbation frequency of all responding: 6.8 times per week
5. Which of the following best describes your experience of how masturbation frequency is affected by being in a sexual relationship, or having sex regularly?
* I've never been in that situation: 58.4%
* I masturbate rarely or never when I'm in a sexual relationship: 5.0%
* I sometimes masturbate when I'm having regular sex – definitely less than when I'm single, but I still do it regularly: 20.1%
* I masturbate just as often or more even when I'm having sex regularly: 16.5%
Almost two-thirds of JackinWorld readers are to-date "lifelong bachelors." Of those who have been in sexual relationships, the vast majority still masturbate sometimes or just as often as when they weren't in a sexual relationship.
6. Which of the following best describes your attitude about tasting your own semen?
* I have no interest in tasting my semen: 34.9%
* I'd like to taste it, but I always lose interest after I ejaculate: 43.1%
* Tasting my semen is highly arousing to me, and I do taste it sometimes: 22.0%
7. About when did you first discover JackinWorld?
* 1996-97 – I've been here since the beginning: 5.7%
* 1998-2000: 30.6%
* 2001-2002: 33.4%
* Last year: 20.2%
* Within the last couple of months: 10.1%
Approximate average time since readers discovered JackinWorld: 2.9 years
8. Which of the following best describes the effect JackinWorld has had on you?
* It's taught me a few things that I use when masturbating, but not much else: 21.6%
* I've read some arousing stuff on JackinWorld that I sometimes think about while masturbating, but not much else: 33.4%
* JackinWorld has educated me and made me feel better about masturbation, but I wouldn't be that much different if I had never discovered the site: 38.3%
* JackinWorld has had a profound effect on me; it's changed my life: 6.7%
9. When you visit JackinWorld, which of the following features are you most likely to check out?
* Question of the Week: 54.5%
* JackinHow-To: 10.3%
* JackinExpert: 10.0%
* Biography of the Month: 7.6%
* Ask Bruce Anything!: 9.2%
* JackinForum: 6.4%
* JackinLibrary: 2.0%
10. Are you a JackInsider member?
* Yes, I currently have an active membership: 6.2%
* Not right now, but I have been in the past: 3.7%
* No, I've never been a member: 90.1%
Average age of currently active members: 34.1
11. What type of underwear do you prefer to wear in day-to-day life?
* Briefs: 23.4% (average age: 27.7)
* Boxers: 49.7% (average age: 19.5)
* Boxer-briefs: 21.8% (average age: 23.6)
* Erotic male underwear: 1.5% (average age: 31.6)
* Women's underwear: 0.5% (average age: 30.7)
* Nothing: 3.2% (average age: 29.5)
Boxers-wearers outnumber briefs-wearers by a more than two-to-one ratio, with about a third of readers preferring other underwear styles. Boxers-wearers represent the youngest demographic; briefs-wearers, the oldest among the 3 major styles.
12. Looking in the mirror, how aroused do you get by your own naked body?
* I get very aroused: 12.5%
* I get slightly aroused, or only sometimes: 46.6%
* I seldom get aroused by myself: 26.3%
* I don't find myself arousing at all: 14.6%
13. Imagine you and a bunch of your friends (guys and girls) decided to go hot-tubbing nude. Which of the following best describes how you'd feel?
* I would be hesitant even to try it, because it would be difficult not to get an erection: 22.0%
* I would be hesitant, but for reasons other than the possibility of getting an erection: 24.5%
* It sounds like fun, but I wouldn't necessarily be aroused or embarrassed by the situation: 15.8%
* I'd be psyched, but if I started getting an erection, I'd quickly get into the water: 19.8%
* I'd be psyched, and if I got an erection and others noticed, I wouldn't mind: 17.9%
14. Imagine that for some reason, you had to take off all of your clothes in front of 10 of your clothed male friends as they looked on. Which of the following would concern you most about being naked in front of them?
* My penis size: 24.7% (average approximate penis length: 5.7")
* I'd be afraid I'd get an erection: 23.5%
* I'm not muscular enough: 15.9%
* I'm not hairy enough, or I'm too hairy: 5.0%
* I'm too overweight: 17.2%
* None of the above – take a look at this, dudes!: 13.6% (average approximate penis length: 6.55")
15. Imagine that for some reason, you had to take off all of your clothes in front of 10 of your clothed female friends as they looked on. Which of the following would concern you most?
* My penis size: 26.7%
* I'd be afraid I'd get an erection: 16.8%
* I'm not muscular enough: 18.3%
* I'm not hairy enough, or I'm too hairy: 5.4%
* I'm too overweight: 19.7%
* None of the above – start the stripping music!: 13.0% (average penis length: 6.55")
Readers are slightly more insecure about their appearance nude in front of females than males, although the fear of getting an erection is much more of a factor in front of males than in front of females.
16. Which of the following best describes your long-term outlook with regard to the opposite sex?
* I am currently settled down with a female partner, with whom I am or once was sexually active: 14.0%
* I see myself as someday settling down and being sexually active with a female partner: 62.0%
* I don't see myself as ever settling down with a female partner, but I will have sex with women throughout my life: 6.0%
* I don't see myself settling down with a woman or having much sex with women in my life: 18.0%
17. Imagine that you're masturbating in front of two TV screens. One TV can show images of naked women. The other TV can show images of naked men. You can watch only one TV while you masturbate, but you must watch one of them. Which would you more likely choose?
* The one showing women: 52.5%
* The one showing men: 47.5%
18. Imagine that you're masturbating with two books. One book is devoted to pictures of female genitals; the other is devoted to pictures of male genitals. You can look at only one of the books while you masturbate, but you must look at one of them. Which would you more likely choose?
* The one showing female genitals: 44.8%
* The one showing male genitals: 55.1%
Of those who answered "women" in question 17, those who would choose the book of male genitals: 24.4%
Even among readers who are more aroused by the female body than the male body, male genitals are frequently a source of arousal; about one-quarter of these readers find male genitals more arousing than female genitals.
19. Of the following factors, which do you feel is most important in determining a person's sexual orientation?
* Which gender they fantasize about more when they masturbate: 5.8%
* Which gender arouses them more visually: 9.0%
* Which gender they prefer to date socially and sexually: 33.3%
* Which gender they are more emotionally attracted to – who they fall in love with: 51.8%
More than half of JackinWorld readers consider sexual orientation to be more emotionally oriented than arousal-related.
20. Do you ever feel that your masturbation fantasies, or your tendencies to react to something visual, conflict with what you consider your sexual orientation?
* No, I consistently fantasize about or find visually arousing the same gender as the one I consider myself sexually oriented toward: 31.3%
* Occasionally (for example, you consider yourself straight but sometimes find the idea of penises arousing): 33.8%
* Quite often (for example, you consider yourself straight but other guys' bodies often arouse you): 22.7%
* Definitely (for example, you consider yourself straight, but physically, you're turned on by guys much more than girls): 12.2%
There's a lot of separation between one's self-defined sexual orientation and one's fantasies and desires; more than two-thirds of people do not consider them directly related in their own case.
21. How would you react if your best (male) friend offered to masturbate you to orgasm in exchange for you masturbating him to orgasm?
* I'd definitely go for it: 52.2%
* I'd have to think about it: 27.5%
* I wouldn't be interested: 20.3%
22. If you were told you could masturbate and be masturbated by any male of your choice whom you personally know (including friends, acquaintences, and relatives), with no negative consequences, how would you react?
* I'd definitely go for it: 63.4%
* I'd have to think about it: 19.5%
* I wouldn't be interested: 17.1%
23. The next question asks you to measure your penis using a precise, uniform method. Please follow the directions before answering; do not choose an answer just because you've measured your penis at some time in the past. And do not exaggerate!
With a rigid ruler handy, get a full erection. Lay the ruler along the top of your penis (that is, the side that faces upward when you're standing with your penis sticking straight out), and press the end of the ruler firmly against your body (where the pubic hair is). Hold your penis against the ruler with your hand, straighten out as much as possible any curvature that may exist, and try to hold your penis so that it's sticking straight out from your body. Then, looking straight down, determine the ruler reading at the very end of your penis.
Which of the following ranges reflects your erect penis length, as measured by the above method?
* Under 4": 1.1%
* Between 4" and 5": 7.3%
* 5.0" to 5.4": 11.5%
* 5.5" to 5.9": 21.9%
* 6.0" to 6.4": 25.6%
* 6.5" to 6.9": 16.8%
* 7.0" to 7.4": 9.3%
* 7.5" to 7.9": 3.9%
* 8.0" to 8.4": 1.4%
* 8.5" to 8.9": 0.6%
* over 9.0": 0.4%
Approximate average (based on ranges): 6.13"
Approximate average of those age 16 and over: 6.20"
Approximate average erect penis length (age 16 and above) vs. preferred underwear type (Question 11):
* Briefs-wearers: 6.00"
* Boxers-wearers: 6.25"
* Boxer-briefs-wearers: 6.29"
* None: 6.33"
Interesting – guys who wear briefs have shorter penises than guys who wear looser styles, or nothing. But it's impossible to determine cause and effect: Does the underwear syle affect penis size, or does penis size affect a person's choice of underwear? More studies are needed!
Approximate average erect penis length (age 16 and above) vs. self-arousal (Question 12):
* I get very aroused: 6.38"
* I don't find myself arousing at all: 5.98"
One's penis size (erect, anyway) has a significant effect on how aroused one gets by his own naked image.
24. How would you describe the typical size of your flaccid (non-erect) penis relative to your erect size?
* It grows a lot with an erection and shrivels up a lot when it's soft: 61.5% (average length: 5.96")
* It grows significantly with an erection, but it still has some length when it's soft: 36.5% (average length: 6.41")
* It doesn't grow by much when I get an erection; it just gets stiffer: 2.1% (average length: 6.25")
25. Which of the following do you like most about your penis?
* Its length: 11.9% (average length: 6.87")
* Its thickness: 19.0%
* Its shape: 20.7%
* Its hairiness: 2.2%
* The way it feels in my hand: 46.2%
26. Which of the following do you like least about your penis – that is, what would you change, if you could?
* Its length: 49.9% (average length: 5.76")
* Its thickness: 13.5%
* Its curvature up or down: 7.8%
* Its curvature left or right: 11.5%
* Its hairiness: 17.3%
1.5% of people did not choose a response to this question.
27. How would you categorize your ethnic background?
* European/white: 80.9%
* Asian/Pacific Islander: 8.1%
* Hispanic: 4.1%
* Other: 2.7%
* African/black: 2.6%
* Native American: 0.8%
* Middle Eastern: 0.7%
Average approximate penis size based on ethnicity (age 16 and over):
* African/black: 6.74"
* Native American: 6.49"
* Middle Eastern: 6.28"
* European/white: 6.26
* Hispanic: 6.03"
* Asian/Pacific Islander: 5.50"
We've all heard the politically correct claim that penis size doesn't vary by ethnicity, but these findings show a clear correlation, at least among certain groups. African-based ethnicities have the largest average penises by far, and Asians have the smallest, with over an inch separating the two – quite a lot for considering that these are broad averages. Of course, there are many, many exceptions in all groups.
Is at least 50% of your ancestry derived from any of the following origins? (Percentages reflect all people who responded, not just those who chose a selection. People could choose more than one selection for this question.)
* 50% Irish: 17.5%
* 100% Irish: 3.4%
* 50% Italian: 5.1%
* 100% Italian: 1.5%
* 50% Portuguese: 1.1%
* 100% Portuguese: 0.3%
* 50% Russian: 3.2%
* 100% Russian: 0.6%
* 50% Scandanavian: 4.2%
* 100% Scandanavian: 1.4%
64.4% of people did not choose any of the above selections.
Approximate average penis size in each of the above groups (age 16 and over):
* 50% Irish: 6.26"
* 100% Irish: 6.17"
* 50% Italian: 6.28"
* 100% Italian: 6.26"
* 50% or 100% Portuguese: 6.08"
* 50% or 100% Russian: 6.30"
* 50% Scandanavian: 6.24"
* 100% Scandanavian: 6.37"
These ethnic groups are reputed by some to have larger-than-average penises. According to these findings, neither the Irish nor the Portuguese have larger-than-average penises. Italian men are slightly larger than average, followed by Russians, and finally Scandanavians, who have the largest average penis size among all of these groups. Only among Scandanavian men does average penis size go up depending on the proportion of the ethnicity in their heritage.
28. How would you describe the color of the hair on your head? (If it has grayed or fallen out, answer based on the hair you had when you were younger.)
* Black: 18.3% (average penis length: 5.92")
* Dark brown: 47.7% (average penis length: 6.15")
* Light brown/dirty blond: 25.1% (average penis length: 6.20")
* Blond: 6.3% (average penis length: 6.24")
* Red: 2.6% (average penis length: 6.09")
Guys with blond hair, on average, have the largest penises. As hair color darkens, average penis size goes down; those with black hair have the smallest average penises. Guys with red hair (whom some believe have the largest penises) are actually below average in size, coming in second to last in this breakdown. Understand, though, that this is only an average correlation; many blond-haired guys reported having small penises, and many dark-haired guys reported having large ones.
29. What is your shoe size? (Unfortunately we neglected to consider that non-U.S. countries use different shoe-size units; therefore, for this question only people from the U.S. were considered.)
Average shoe size: 10.8
Average penis length for those age 16 and above with shoe sizes 7.5 and under: 5.85" (56 people fit into this category.)
Average penis length for those age 16 and above with shoe sizes 9 and under: 5.96"
Average penis length for those age 16 and above with shoe sizes 9.5 through 12: 6.19"
Average penis length for those age 16 and above with shoe sizes 12.5 and over: 6.42"
Average penis length for those age 16 and above with shoe sizes 14 and over: 6.62" (123 people fit into this category.)
Interestingly, there does appear to be a direct correlation between average adult shoe size and average adult penis size, which seems to debunk the claim that there is no such correlation – although again, this is based on averages of many JackinWorld readers.
30. If someone gave you a bottle of pills advertised to enlarge your penis, and you took them for the recommended time period, what do you think would happen?
* Probably nothing: 91.8%
* They'd probably enlarge my penis significantly: 7.0%
* I've taken penis-enlarging pills, and they had no effect: 0.7%
* I've taken penis-enlarging pills, and they enlarged my penis significantly: 0.4%
Thankfully, the vast majority of JackinWorld readers don't believe Internet claims that certain herbal pills can somehow target certain body parts and enlarge them. Fewer than one in 200 had success with such pills – and since we're quite certain that the pills don't work, these have to be cases where the readers wanted to believe in the product they spent so much money on, or they happened to take the pills during a time when their penises were growing anyway.
