How Many Of Us Are There. Really?

[Spanky]

I was just wondering if anyone has seen a study or something that showed how many people out there were diaper lovers or adult baby? Is it one in 100 or one in 1,000 or one in 10,000? It would be interesting to know the percentage of people who like to wear diapers.

[leafy kille]

yea i agree i would also like to know.

leafy

[enfant]

It's not really possible to know, since very few of us are out of the closet. But a few little data points:

- When the USENET newsgroup alt.sex.fetish.diapers was first formed in the mid-90s, before all the newsgroups were destroyed by spam, there was a program called "arbitron" that estimated the daily readership of each group based on statistics from a sample of news servers, and it came up with a figure of, IIRC, about 27,000 for a.s.f.d. Considering how few people had net access in those days--a very small percentage--and the fact that many news servers didn't even carry that newsgroup in the first place, that was a very surprising number to me. I figure some portion of them were just idly curious and not actively interested in the fetish, but it doesn't seem like you could get that many people, day after day, who were just momentarily curious--a lot of them must have been regular readers. Comparing that to the readership of other niche-interest newsgroups, and multiplying it out by the estimated fraction of people who had net access, both suggested to me that there must be at least a few hundred thousand Americans with this interest--perhaps as many as a million, though that seems high to me.

- I once polled online AB/DLs I knew--a sample of 30 or 40 people--and asked how many of them were or had in the past been members of DPF. (This was back when DPF was really the go-to place for infantilists, there wasn't really anyone else yet.) Only a pretty small percentage of my sample had ever joined up... and this was a sample of people who were visiting online AB chat rooms and such, people who were aware of DPF; it didn't take into account all the people out there who hadn't yet found out about it. Tommy had mentioned somewhere how many members and ex-members there were, total. I don't remember the figures now, but I worked out that if infantilists in general were no more likely to join DPF than the ones I'd met online, then there must be about 150,000 infantilists in the US, and probably more, because I would expect my sample to have _more_ DPF members than infantilists in general.

Neither of these is at all scientific, of course. Just guesses, based on very partial information. But my gut feeling is that they're not too far off. I would bet about one person in a thousand is into infantilism on some level (ranging from 24/7 diaper wearers to people who just fantasize about it)--that would mean about 300,000 people in America.

[Repaid1]

I certainly wil not argue the figures above, as that is outta my realm or figures. But I will say that back in 1982ish, when DPF was formed as I was and have been a member way back then... Thus the name change..anyone know What it was called???.. That anyone that is a Adult Baby is A DL.. whatever the reason. But most D/L's say they aren't a AB, but at least 50% really are. Question that? check on here at profiles. The fact is According to this site, there are certainly more AB's than DL's. The problem there lies above in my earlier statement. If a DL is straight forward and has any AB tendencys then he actually is a AB not a DL. Simply Because a AB is a Diaper Lover, Yeah you can argue that DL is Sexual Diapers..But PLEASE.. You Feel that feeling too, whether you act on it or not. Granted there are distinct differences. But the feeling is there.

A true DL, while I cannot say..as I am not one..but have met over 50 of them.. show who they are by the way they respond..not saying AB's dont (mind you). That things aren't so much different.. It's just a factor of who yoou are and how you protray.. A AB that get's sexually excited.. is truley (MY thoughts) a DL. cause babys don't...well for the most part..anyway.... There are certainly from the figures of DPF's 20 years of memberships showing that DL's are a minority to AB's. While I could care less.. I had to chime in.. as I was membership number under 200 in DPF. (circa 1982)

[enfant]

I certainly wil not argue the figures above, as that is outta my realm or figures. But I will say that back in 1982ish, when DPF was formed as I was and have been a member way back then... Thus the name change..anyone know What it was called???

You mean DPF? It was originally "Diaper Pail Fraternity", IIRC, and changed "Fraternity" to "Friends" in the late 80s or early 90s--I suppose because Tommy didn't want to sound like women weren't welcome.

anyone that is a Adult Baby is A DL.. whatever the reason. But most D/L's say they aren't a AB, but at least 50% really are.

I've never really cared for the terms "AB' and "DL"; I prefer the all-inclusive term "infantilists". I don't see a need for us to draw distinctions between ourselves or put each other in pigeonholes. Sometimes I see people getting a little bit judgemental of one another--"I'm a DL, and I don't want to talk to AB's", "that person isn't a true DL", and things like that. The way I see it, whoever gets joy or pleasure from wearing diapers is a member of the infantilist tribe. Some are into teddy bears and pacifiers and other accoutrements; others only like the diapers. Some wet or mess; others don't. Some get sexual pleasure from it; others don't. Some want to crossdress or play gender games; others don't. Sometimes people start out in one category and find themselves drifting into another. Differences are what make the world go around.

What's really interesting to me is how many people there are in the whole tribe, and not so much how many people are in one category or another.

[DIAPERPHANTOM]

Good post, Spanky! I think all of us here have thought about that very question; and to think...just a few years ago I thought I was the only one!

[Guest John_Q_Sample]

Okay... so maybe you all can tell me what I am...

I love diapers but have no desire to be or act like a baby.

I do like being forced into baby things such as sucking a pacifier (or wearing the diapers and plastic pants) as a humiliation that really gets me off.

Anything of the sort is exciting, only if forced on me or I am laughed at/teased for it.

So there is no desire to regress and actually sleep in a crib or whatever for comfort... but a huge desire for it for the humiliation.

So what does that make me???

A diaper-loving "forced" AB?

[enfant]

Like I said: you're just one of the many delicious flavors of infantilist.

[Guest John_Q_Sample]

What flavor? Chocolate, I hope...

[DIAPERPHANTOM]

Okay... so maybe you all can tell me what I am...

I love diapers but have no desire to be or act like a baby.

I do like being forced into baby things such as sucking a pacifier (or wearing the diapers and plastic pants) as a humiliation that really gets me off.

Anything of the sort is exciting, only if forced on me or I am laughed at/teased for it.

So there is no desire to regress and actually sleep in a crib or whatever for comfort... but a huge desire for it for the humiliation.

So what does that make me???

A diaper-loving "forced" AB?

Labels are not important to me either, especially in here, but I had to pick one like everyone else when I registered. Many members here have expressed the same difficulty as I had when deciding what category to choose. The reason I went with DL was because I am primarily a DL. Yes, I do have AB tendencies and a little Sissy side as well, but my DL lifestyle clearly dominates, so that’s what I went with.

I would say you are primarily a DL, like me, based on the information you provided.

However; I am hardly qualified to define someone elses category. Since joining this site and exploring my lifestyle with my fiancé, I find myself drifting more towards AB of late and my Sissy side has increased as well thanks to members here like daiprbayb and others who can really project this lifestyle in a fun and positive way.

[lynniehyde]

"But I will say that back in 1982ish, when DPF was formed as I was and have been a member way back then... Thus the name change..anyone know What it was called??"

Hi Repaid1,

Yeah, I remember. It was called "Diaper Pail Fraternity" by Tommy, who felt that the vast majority of those adults who engaged in diaper wearing were male. Since those early days, it has turned out that there are probably as many women as men who enjoy diaper wearing, just not as many who are as willing or feel the need to express that need to others. The name was changed in the early 90's to "Diaper Pail Friends". Much more politically correct.

Cuddles,

--heidilynn

[lynniehyde]

"What's really interesting to me is how many people there are in the whole tribe, and not so much how many people are in one category or another. "

What a great statement, Enfant. Tribe is an excellent word to describe our community. You must be a fan of Marshall McLuhan. I was a member of many a "tribe" during my years involved with the hit Broadway musical "HAiR" back in the early 70's. "Tribe" was what the cast was called.

The show was all about freedom, love, happiness and being able to be the person you really are, not something that has been forced on you by archaic, outdated moral issues that ultimately result in the decay of human culture. Right on!

Cuddles,

--heidilynn

[Chibiusa255]

I'm sure this something that almost all of us has wondered about. I guess that any realistic estimates would be almost impossible to get. I do think, however, that there are a lot more of out there than anyone would ever know. I mean, look at the numbers of us on the internets and you have to think that that's only the tiniest fraction of the whole. How many of us closet themselves away and never tell anyone about their diapers? I'm guessing a whole lot.

[thepill]

A recent survery of over 150,000 people has given some idea to the spectrum of how many there are who ascribe to certain kinks. This comprehensive survey has pitted nappy lovers as one of the lowest, scoring less than 1% of the total responses!

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/scienc...icle2303022.ece

I know this question has come up countless times on forums, it's nice to finally be able to lay it to rest!

-thepill

[lordmole]

I don't like surveys much, because everyone is unique and hence it would be impossible to predict number by using a small sample. Although it's probably not far from the truth. Anyway, this survey was about fetishes. And infantilism is not a fetish and most of the time has nothing to do with sex. Diapers of course is a different matter, as they can be sexual. But being a baby pretty much excludes sex.

[Andy]

here in germany a speech says: "Never trust in a statistic you havent falsified by your own"

hope that says enough on my point of view on statistics and surveys.......

[lynniehyde]

I wouldn't put anything more into that survey than I would into my diapers.

Cuddles,

--heidilynn

[Chibiusa255]

I'm a little doubtful about results like that. It doesn't really seem that it was a very scientifically conducted survey. Questioning people on online message boards is a far cry from a systematic scientific poling method, IMO.

[enfant]

I'm doubtful too. They didn't even question people on message boards, if I read the story correctly--they just surveyed the contents of those message boards. That introduces all kinds of selection biases.

That said, I think "less than 1%" is probably accurate. A tenth of a percent is my personal guesstimate.

[Valentine]

Properly done surveys can be fairly accurate, but they would require random samples and a large number of respondents.

[enfant]

You must be a fan of Marshall McLuhan.

Not that familiar with McLuhan, but I am a big fan of HAiR!

[Diapered4Fun]

Hair is something I couldn't stand at all. Body hair is just totally gross to me. Shave it all off.

[Babybrian19]

It's probably correct in that AB/DL is one of the lowest. An INCREDIBLY large amount of people really have absolutely no idea what this is and usually just laugh when they find out...

[diapercj]

I think the poll was taken from improper sources if anything. Not to mention, most people are closed about this subject and arent going to admit to some random person what they do.

[Mr. Sea Otter]

Keep in mind that even if only 1% of the population is AB/DL, that would mean over 3,000,000 people in the USA. So even if it is less than 1%, there are still LOTS of us out there.

But I do agree that the poll was less than scientific.