You’ve Got Junk Mail: Prevalence of and Factors Related to Sending and Receiving Unsolicited Nudes

Unsolicited nudes are common, but most of the research in this area has focused on the motivations of men sending such images and the reactions of women who receive them. In this online study, we attempted to investigate the prevalence of sending and receiving unsolicited sexual images in a broader population, and variables related to this behavior. In our sample of 357 participants, we found few people (less than 20%) acknowledged ever having sent such images, and no difference in whether people had ever sent unsolicited nudes based on gender identity. However, we found that most people (almost 68%) had received unsolicited nudes, and that women and non-binary individuals were much more likely to have received such images. Differences in our results and those of previous studies are discussed.