If struggling with chastity is the metric for being a “bad Catholic” then we’re all bad Catholics. God doesn’t use these kinds of labels with us. He prefers to call you and me by other names, like “beloved son”, “precious daughter”, “lovely”, and “very good”. We’re not good because we earned a chastity badge — we’re good because He wants us.

We (Amanda, Sr. Ruth and Matt) will reflect on these results prayerfully, in order to explore possible initiatives for the future as we seek to walk with students in the area of chastity.

Yes! All input is helpful, and the survey does not consist of yes/no questions, but is designed to gauge a range of different experiences. Anyone can fill out the survey, regardless of your past or current experience.

According to a 2022 survey from the National Library of Medicine, 36.5% of female respondents had masturbated in the past month, and Fight the New Drug cites statistics indicating that almost 3 out of 10 Pornhub users were female. So despite the myth that porn and masturbation are only “guy problems”, both the research and our own pastoral experience indicates that both women and men face these temptations.

No, we will not share this information with any third parties. Its sole purpose is to help us better understand and serve real needs.

You are definitely not alone. Research can vary and is ongoing as trends shift, but some surveys on pornography indicate that almost 60% of young adults are actively seeking out porn monthly or more often. In January 2024, Pornhub saw over 11.4 billion mobile visits from global users. And though survey results can vary, only 17.1% of both men and women surveyed by the National Library of Medicine said they had not experienced masturbation in the past year, putting them in the minority. If we look at trends in premarital sex, those numbers also point to an ever-growing prevalency of this experience.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “sin” is literally to “miss the mark”; in this sense, any choice to idolize something will create interference in our relationship with God. In fact, Pope Gregory the Great and other theologians actually see pride as the first of the seven deadly sins. So while chastity is an essential virtue for every human person, the Church wants to form us in all the virtues in an integrated way that will help us to live more like Jesus.

It is also important to note that in situations of addiction, a person’s personal culpability for sin can be impacted. Good pastoral care should take into consideration this aspect that can accompany the experience of porn, masturbation and any potentially addictive experience.

This honest question acknowledges the real temptation to hopelessness that can set in for any person, especially for those who have been battling alone. Scripture reminds us that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). We have power in the Risen Jesus, and He is the one who transforms us and frees us. We do not “fix” ourselves, but rather we learn to be loved by Him. There is a growing body of knowledge today of what goes into the process of freedom, from the JPII’s Theology of the Body to the neuroscience of addiction to the impact of overcoming shame and isolation through community and accountability. There is hope!

Your voice is a huge gift, not only to us as staff as we seek to listen to you and learn from you, but also for your peers. The only way we as staff can know your real experience is if we put ourselves in a posture of listening to you. We honor and reverence any way you can share your voice and shed more light on the real needs and desires of students regarding chastity.