However, changes in the social environment and global politics also may be responsible for the decline.
With nearly 19,000 business and consumer publications listed in its directory, the NRM chronicled the decline of adult publications in 1995 from 142 to 90, largely the result of the increased availability of pornography on the Internet.
However, online smut may not be the only reason for the decline of adult print publications, according to representatives at the NRM. Additionally, social issues may also have effected the change, especially the psychological reverberations from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which NRM Editorial Director Deborah Striplin said boosted the popularity of publications that provide more “wholesome” content.
“We have seen a tremendous growth in 'home and hearth' publications [since] the impact of 9/11,” said Striplin. “The religion category, which had been on a steep decline since 1995, also began picking up after 9/11.”
Lifestyle magazines also experienced significant growth during this period, growing from 273 ten years ago to 364 publications in 2005. At the same time, wedding publications nearly tripled from 37 to 102, and travel magazines expanded from 525 to 600 over the same time frame.
The biggest drop came in the general interest category, with magazines in this market falling from 204 in 1995 to just 46 today. Striplin said the drop is likely due to an increase in “highly targeted” publications that focus on increasingly narrow markets such as “Aviation for Women.”