Relative prevalence of different fetishes.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sexology
• Internet Studies

Background:

• Fetishism is a complex sexual interest with limited empirical data on prevalence.
• Previous research on fetish frequency has been constrained by small sample sizes and limited data sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the relative frequency of various fetish categories in a large online sample.
• To establish a foundational database for fetishistic preferences where knowledge is scarce.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 381 internet discussion groups to identify and quantify fetish preferences.
• Estimation of relative frequencies based on group numbers, participant counts, and message volume.
• Validation of frequency estimation methods using parametric and non-parametric statistical agreement.

Main Results:

• Body part/feature fetishes (33%) and object fetishes associated with the body (30%) were most prevalent.
• Feet and foot-related objects emerged as the most frequent targets of fetishistic interest.
• Other preferences included other people's behavior (18%), own behavior (7%), social behavior (7%), and unrelated objects (5%).

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first large-scale database on fetish prevalence using internet data.
• Findings highlight the significant prevalence of body part and object-related fetishes, with a notable focus on feet.
• The methodology offers a scalable approach for studying sexual preferences in online populations.