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Porn site reveals increase in web traffic since the government shutdown

The results from an adult video website show one way people might be spending time away from work.
Credit: Getty Images, Poike
Person using a computer, stock image.

WASHINGTON — When furloughed government workers suddenly have more free time than usual, what's there to do? Turns out some may be turning on porn.

Pornhub, the adult video platform, analyzed its website data when inquired by Mashable and found there's been an increase in traffic since the government shutdown began.

From Jan. 7-11, the third week of the government shutdown, there was an average daily traffic increase of 5.94 percent compared to two weeks in December prior to the shutdown.

The site saw a large spike during the early morning hours, especially from midnight to 5 a.m. After a mid-morning dip, people might have been delighted to log on during the afternoon.

Credit: Pornhub
Pornhub, the adult video website, found an average daily increase of traffic during the government shutdown compared to two weeks prior to the shutdown.

Mashable notes correlation doesn't equal causation -- more people aren't necessarily watching porn because of the shutdown, and perhaps people are hanging out inside because of colder temperatures. 

But the traffic bumps during the late night and early afternoons are similar to other events like winter storms, Pornhub says, which are times people could stay up later because there's no work the next day.

When Pornhub examined its Washington, D.C., traffic, it found an increase of about 6.32 percent.

Credit: Pornhub
Pornhub, the adult video website, found an average daily increase of traffic in Washington, D.C., during the government shutdown compared to a period prior to the shutdown.

Hmm. We don't judge.

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