Hi, I just want to say thank you, for your participation before moving onto the survey results.  I am not particularly tech savvy, so I decided to post the results on my website and contact those who were kind enough to leave an email address, of my findings.  

                                              Results Summary

          It was hypothesized that men and women, who engage in same-sex online dating will report higher satisfaction levels, than men and women who use automated sites.  A quasi-experimental between subjects design was used to measure the hypothesis.  The quasi-independent variable was online dating sites, which had two levels: automated and match-making.  The dependent variable was user satisfaction, by site type formatted on a five point Likert Scale.

          A questionnaire consisting of 38 questions was posted with surveymonkey.com, an online survey tool for creating and publishing custom surveys; which is also able to collect and analyze the responses onsite.  The researcher also designed a website to house the link to the survey.  This additional step was taken to prevent the respondents from being solicited, by surveymonkey.com for membership.  Of the 38 questions, five pertained to respondent demographics; seven to design of future sites; 22 questions regarding the topic of interest and three directly relating to the hypothesis.

          Advertisements announcing the survey was posted to craigslist.com, a community based internet site; with Bettyslist.com, a GLBT community based internet site; and the NDNU Gay and Straight Student Alliance.  Also respondents were asked to refer the link to other interested parties and their friends.  The advertisments described the purpose of the survey, was to assess the online dating patterns and romantic expression of GLBT members; that current research was focused on heterosexual community; and respondents would be contributing to a body of psychological knowledge pertaining to online dating.  The postings asked for volunteers to participate and that the survey would take about 5-10 minutes to complete. 

         The survey was posted online in early February, and approximately 263 people responded.  Actually, that figure may be closer to 400+, but technical problems caused many of the completed surveys to register as non-respondents.  The surveys were purged before the data was downloaded and entered into SPSS Data File.

          The results of the survey did not support the hypothesis that people using match-making sites would report higher satisfaction levels, than people using automated sites.  Online daters used automated sites primarily, with a much smaller percentage using match-making dating sites or having experience with both site types.  A data file was created.  The scores were tabulated comparing satisfaction scores between match-making and automated sites, t(154) = 1.82, p = .07.  Automated M = 3.13, SD = 1.04.  Match-making M = 2.79, SD = 1.17.  No significant difference was found.  A trend in the opposite direction was found, such that people who used automated sites had a slightly higher statistic levels (M=3.13) than those who used match-making sites (M = 2.79). 

          To compare the satisfaction scores a subset was created and a Oneway ANOVA was conducted to determine if the differences in scores was significant.  The comparison was amongst three groups: those using automated; those using match-making and those using both site types.  The differences were not significant, Mean Square .203; F is .920 and Sig. .454.

          To explain the results of the survey, the researcher went back to the pilot study, where similar trends were first identified, and found (respondents felt) certain match-making features intrusive and contrary to their needs for privacy and control. 

          To explain the low satisfaction scores across all three levels, the researcher returned to the narrative portions of the survey and survey questions pertaining to user preferences for dating site features.  For online daters, one of the most important features of a dating site was accurate and detailed profiling.  Within this context of user preferences low OSL scores may indicate, for example, a perceived discrepancy between the profile descriptions and the face to face, "meet and greet".  People might feel somewhat mislead and disappointed influencing feelings of satisfaction.

          In summary, the survey results indicate online daters over utilize automated sites.  This preference appears to be based on the qualities of communication that promote privacy and control.  Conversely, the OSL across all three levels was low and may reflect a paucity of sensory cues, required for accurate assessment of potential dates.  Technology again, holds out a promise of adding an affective component and a social presence to cyber communication.  This enhanced communication may result in more accurate assessment of potential dates, and therefore, greater user satisfaction.  Future research might include the impact of affective communication on internet dating; or the impact of online dating on the American Judicial System (as bi-national couples marry).

Thank you,

Denise M. Chun