In an effort to gain further insight into people’s perceptions of online dating, I constructed an online survey through surveymonkey.com. Following the formulation of my survey, I perused through my network of Facebook friends and eventually sent out a private message to a group of 65 people. Within the private message, I made sure to obtain informed consent from each participant and notified them of my intentions in gathering data. I tried to make certain no one felt pressured or a displeasing sense of obligation to contribute to my research. This was a significant step in conducting my research considering each of these individuals knows me personally. Furthermore, I reassured the participants of their anonymity in submitting their responses. Below, you will find a copy of the inbox message each individual received via Facebook, as well as a transcript of the survey with which the participants partook in.
Copy of the Inbox Message:
“Hi everyone! I am conducting a survey for one of my sociology classes regarding the topic of online dating. There’s ten questions to the survey and should only take about 10 minutes TOPS! I would really appreciate your help because this is kind of a last minute endeavor and finals are right around the corner! Thanks a bunch!
Your participation is voluntary, you may choose not to participate or withdraw at anytime. The answers are completely anonymous, no names or identifying information will be collected or used. You may choose not to answer some or all of the questions and leave them blank. You can stop taking the survey at any time, for any reason.
Return of the survey will be considered your consent to participate. Thank you.”
Copy of the Survey:
1. How do you self-identify in terms of gender?
2. How old are you?
3. On average, how much time do you spend on the Internet per day?
4. Have you ever used online dating?
5. If you have not previously used online dating, would you consider doing so in the future?
6. What aspects of online dating do you find positive or useful? If you do not find online dating positive or useful in any way, please say none.
7. What aspects of online dating do you find to be negative?
8. What concerns have you had/ could you potentially have in using online dating?
9. What are three traits you would look for in another individual’s online profile?
10. Are there any other comments you wish to share regarding online dating?
Of the 65 individuals who received the initial inbox message via Facebook, 44 individuals took part in the survey. I chose these 65 people because they covered a wide range of age demographics and presented a somewhat balanced ratio of men and women. Moreover, I knew the individuals I sought out spent varying amounts of time using the Internet. Because my research focuses on how age, gender, and frequency of Internet use affect people’s receptivity and overall perceptions of online dating, I felt this representative group was appropriate for obtaining data regarding these specific factors. Furthermore, surveys allow for a more efficient process of gathering data from a greater number of respondents. In this way, my usage of surveys proved particularly useful in fulfilling my hopes of gathering data that reveals common trends, rather than highlighting specific individual’s open-ended opinions (like those obtained through conducting interviews). Following the accumulation of all the survey responses, I organized everyone’s inputs in an Excel spreadsheet. This was, by far, the most tedious step within the process. However, in doing so, I was able to compare and contrast people’s responses with much more ease. Additionally, creating an Excel spreadsheet provided a more convenient way to stratify the data and eventually observe various trends. Overall, I found the task of gathering data time-consuming, but rewarding, nonetheless.