How Common Is Foot Fetishism Really?

The key numbers

Measuring how common any sexual preference is presents real challenges — people are often reluctant to disclose, surveys have sampling biases, and definitions vary. That said, the research on foot fetishism is more robust than many people expect. Here is what the most credible studies show.

What the 2007 Scorolli study found

The most widely cited academic study on fetish prevalence was conducted by Scorolli and colleagues and published in the International Journal of Impotence Research in 2007. The researchers analyzed 381 internet discussion groups dedicated to fetishes, with a combined membership of over 150,000 individuals.

Their finding: feet and toes accounted for 47% of all body-part fetish discussions — making it far and away the most common non-genital body-part focus. When footwear (shoes, boots, socks) was included, the figure climbed even higher, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all body-object fetish interest.

What Lehmiller's 2018 survey found

Psychologist Dr. Justin Lehmiller at the Kinsey Institute surveyed 4,175 Americans about their sexual fantasies in a study published as Tell Me What You Want (2018). He found that 1 in 7 respondents — roughly 14% — had experienced a foot-related sexual fantasy at least once.

Lehmiller was careful to note that a one-time fantasy is not the same as a fetish. A fetish, in clinical terms, implies a strong and recurrent preference — often one that feels central to a person's arousal. The proportion of people with a true fetish is likely smaller than the 1 in 7 figure, though still significant.

Why the numbers are probably an undercount

Social stigma systematically suppresses self-reporting of sexual preferences. Studies consistently find that people report more "unusual" sexual interests when surveys are anonymous and when the questions are framed neutrally. This means the real prevalence of foot-related interest is almost certainly higher than any current study captures.

It is also worth noting that foot fetishism appears across cultures and throughout recorded history — from ancient China to Renaissance Europe — which suggests it is not a product of any particular era or social environment, but a recurring feature of human sexuality.

Who is most likely to report a foot fetish?

Across studies, foot fetishism is reported more frequently by men than women, and somewhat more by gay and bisexual men than heterosexual men. These differences are real in the data, but researchers caution against reading too much into gender disparities — reporting bias is significant, and social norms around sexual disclosure differ substantially between groups.

The bottom line

By any reasonable measure, foot fetishism is common. If 1 in 7 Americans have fantasized about feet at some point, that represents tens of millions of people. Its consistent ranking as the most prevalent non-genital fetish across multiple research methodologies is not a coincidence — it appears to reflect something real and stable about human sexual psychology.