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Why Would You Decide to Use an Online

Dating Site? Factors That Lead to Online
Dating
a b c
Tanya Kang & Lindsay H. Hoffman
a
Communication, University of Washington
b
Department of Communication, University of Delaware
c
Center for Political Communication, University of Delaware
Published online: 18 Jul 2011.

To cite this article: Tanya Kang & Lindsay H. Hoffman (2011) Why Would You Decide to Use an Online
Dating Site? Factors That Lead to Online Dating, Communication Research Reports, 28:3, 205-213,
DOI: 10.1080/08824096.2011.566109

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 Communication Research Reports
Vol. 28, No. 3, July–September 2011, pp. 205–213

Why Would You Decide to Use an

Online Dating Site? Factors
That Lead to Online Dating
Tanya Kang & Lindsay H. Hoffman
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The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of online dating usage. Past studies
have examined the concern of trust in relation to inaccurate self-presentation and
self-disclosure. Few studies have examined what factors lead to online dating usage
and how trust plays a role in the probability of using an online dating site. Using
2005 data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2 significant predictors were
found: Individuals who use the Internet for a greater amount of tasks are more likely to
use online dating sites, and individuals who are trusting of others are less likely to use
online dating sites. This study has implications for the ongoing research of trust in online
dating, as well as examining what other factors may affect online dating usage.

Keywords: CMC; Hyperpersonal; Multitasking; Online Dating

In recent years, online dating has become an increasingly popular and a socially
accepted way to meet significant others (Whitty & Carr, 2006). Even with the com-
mon concerns of trust and misrepresentation (Donn & Sherman, 2002; Gibbs,
Ellison, & Heino, 2006), more individuals may seek romance by turning to online
dating and may even experience greater interpersonal and romantic connections
online than in their offline lives (Whitty & Carr, 2006). When crossing into the
online dating world, users enter a new realm of interpersonal communication.
What makes online dating significantly different from offline dating is the lack of

Tanya Kang (MA, University of Delaware, 2011) is a doctoral student in Communication at the University of
Washington. Lindsay H. Hoffman (PhD, The Ohio State University, 2007) is an assistant professor in the
Department of Communication and a research coordinator for the Center for Political Communication, at
the University of Delaware. Correspondence: Lindsay H. Hoffman, Department of Communication, University
of Delaware, 250 Pearson Hall, Newark, DE 19716; E-mail: lindsayh@udel.edu

ISSN 0882-4096 (print)/ISSN 1746-4099 (online) # 2011 Eastern Communication Association

DOI: 10.1080/08824096.2011.566109
 206 T. Kang & L. H. Hoffman
face-to-face communication. Walther (2006) described this communication context
as computer-mediated communication (CMC). Many of our common ways of
engaging in communication and going through the process of becoming acquainted
with someone we meet in person are removed in CMC. Without physical appearance
and behavioral cues, other facets of communication are emphasized, and individuals
learn to interpret intended communication through text (Walther, 2006).
Some research has viewed the formation of interpersonal relationships through CMC
negatively. Because this context does not have the same dynamics as face-to-face rela-
tionships, meaningful and successful relationships cannot be formed (Burgoon et al.,
2002; Cummings, Butler, & Kraut, 2002). Contrarily, other studies have suggested that
individuals do utilize the Internet to form significant interpersonal relationships, result-
ing in positive outcomes (Walther, Loh, & Granka, 2005; Walther & Parks, 2002).
In fact, the lack of physical and nonverbal cues in developing interpersonal rela-
tionships online may not be a burden; rather, it can be liberating. Whitty and Carr
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(2006) suggested that individuals can be more ‘‘radical’’ online than in person.
Because they feel less inhibited, individuals may feel more comfortable using the
Internet to disclose personal information about themselves (Whitty & Carr, 2006).
Cyberspace, in this sense, is conducive to the development of interpersonal relation-
ships, especially for people who may have difficulty forming relationships in person
due to a lack of social skills. In general, when communicating online, people are less
aware of these inhibiting factors (e.g., shyness, self-consciousness, and social anxiety)
that can often be stressful for some when trying to form interpersonal relationships in
person (McKenna, Green, & Gleason, 2002; Whitty & Carr, 2006). To this end,
Whitty and Carr conceptualized cyberspace as consisting of different spaces, and
online dating is one of the many spaces of the Internet that people utilize for forming
these interpersonal relationships.
Walther (1996) proposed the theoretical framework of hyperpersonal CMC, which
fits the dynamics of online dating. Hyperpersonal CMC is an extension of social
information processing theory, which considers ‘‘the pace at which online relation-
ships are developed when compared to offline relationships’’ (Whitty & Carr,
2006, p. 14). Hyperpersonal CMC takes this further in which individuals who com-
municate online can ‘‘exploit the capabilities of text-based, nonvisual interaction to
form levels of affinity that would be unexpected in parallel offline interactions’’
(Walther, Slovacek, & Tidwell, 2001, p. 110).
Whereas, in general, individuals enjoy engaging in interpersonal relationships
on the Internet because of the opportunity to recreate their identity (Yurchisin,
Watchravesringkan, & McCabe, 2005), the notion of self-presentation creates a dif-
ferent concern in the context of online dating. The Internet can be liberating for those
who have social anxiety in forming interpersonal relationships offline; however, ‘‘the
freedom of cyberspace can be problematic for some—especially when they venture
too far into the realms of fantasy’’ (Whitty & Carr, 2006, p. 28). Whitty and Carr
added that individuals are more likely to lie online than offline. Whereas McKenna
et al. (2002) said the Internet allows one to reveal one’s true self, Whitty and Carr
said this does not carry over into online dating.
 Communication Research Reports 207

Despite the general agreement that using the Internet can be a way to help form
interpersonal relationships, honesty poses a problem in the realm of online dating.
Much of the literature discusses this concern of trust in online dating. In this newer
context of forming interpersonal relationships without the face-to-face interaction,
online dating users appear to be primarily concerned that others are deceiving and
provide inaccurate self-presentation (Donn & Sherman, 2002; Gibbs et al., 2006;
Ramirez, Walther, Burgoon, & Sunnafrank, 2002; Whitty, 2008; Whitty & Carr,
2006). Specifically, Donn and Sherman explained that online daters may employ dis-
inhibition (lack of concern for self-presentation) to open up to others and share more
about themselves than they would in person. However, the findings of their study
revealed that individuals were greatly concerned with this intended skewed
self-presentation and deception in online dating, warranting the inability to trust
other online daters. Gibbs et al. also found that respondents were concerned that
others misrepresent themselves online by intentionally neglecting to reveal negative
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information about themselves. Whitty found truthful self-presentation to be an issue

as well: ‘‘[T]he participants in this study were often outraged to find when they met
face-to-face that their date had misrepresented themselves in their profile’’ (p. 1717).
These concerns about misrepresentation and trust may indicate an individual’s
decision to pursue online dating. Why do some people then use online dating and
others do not? Despite the fact that trust is a concern for many who engage in online
dating, people continue to use online dating sites. What is the difference between
those who do and those who do not? Given the numerous studies on online dating
and the concern of trust, to date, few studies have considered precisely what factors
lead a person to pursue online dating.

Hypotheses
In an effort to understand why individuals utilize online dating, this study starts by
examining possible variables that lead individuals to date online. On the basis of
extensive concern of trust from the literature review, this study proposed the follow-
ing hypothesis:
H1: General trust of others will predict the likelihood of an individual to use online
dating sites.

In addition, Whitty and Carr (2006) cited research indicating women are more likely
to form a personal relationship online than men. Therefore, this study hypothesized
the following:
H2: Sex will predict the likelihood of an individual to use online dating sites.

Donn and Sherman (2002) surmised in their conclusions that the graduate students
in their study may have responded with a higher level of positive attitudes toward
meeting people online than the undergraduate students because graduate students
are more comfortable with using the Internet for a variety of tasks. To this end, in
examining trust and online dating usage, this study conjectures that individuals
 208 T. Kang & L. H. Hoffman
who use the Internet for a greater amount of tasks are more likely to use online dating
sites. Therefore, the following is hypothesized:

H3: The number of tasks that a person performs on the Internet will predict the
likelihood of an individual to use online dating sites.

In addition, as Donn and Sherman’s (2002) study showed a significant difference

between younger undergraduate students and older graduate students, age and edu-
cation may play a role in predicting online dating usage. Thus, the following are
hypothesized:

H4: Age will predict the likelihood of an individual to use online dating sites.
H5: Education will predict the likelihood of an individual to use online dating sites.

If people are comfortable with disclosing online, what leads them to being comfort-
able with using the Internet for such online activities like dating? As Donn and
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Sherman (2002) suggested, individuals who use the Internet for a variety of tasks
are likely to feel more comfortable with using the Internet for other tasks. A person
who feels comfortable with Internet usage, in general, is likely to feel the Internet is
reliable. This may subsequently lead to online dating usage. Based on his or her per-
ceived reliability of the Internet, a person who is comfortable with using the Internet
is likely to be at ease with using the Internet for more involved tasks, such as online
dating. Similar to the rationale for H1 in which we argued that individuals who are
trusting of people in general may also be trusting of meeting others through online
dating, individuals who are trusting of the Internet (operationalized as finding the
Internet to be reliable) may find online dating sites to be reliable as well. Therefore,
the following is hypothesized:
H6: Perceived reliability of the Internet will predict the likelihood of an individual to
use online dating sites.

Method
A secondary analysis was conducted from survey data on Americans’ use of the Inter-
net, collected by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2005). The nationwide
telephone poll took place from September 14 to December 8, 2005. Selected through
random digit dialing, participants (N ¼ 3,215) ranged in age from 18 to 95 years old
(M ¼ 50.73, SD ¼ 17.79). Participants’ education levels ranged from 1 to 7 years
beyond high school (M ¼ 4.46, or between trade school and some college,
SD ¼ 1.65), and 54.3% of the sample were women.
To operationalize the variety of tasks for which a person uses the Internet, an addi-
tive scale was created. Eight items were combined to create the index. Original
responses were coded as ‘‘yes=yesterday,’’ ‘‘yes=not yesterday,’’ or ‘‘no.’’ Responses
were recoded with ‘‘yes=yesterday’’ and ‘‘yes=not yesterday’’ ¼ 1 and ‘‘no’’ ¼ 0. Each
yes response received one point, producing a scale that ranged from zero to eight. The
additive scale included the following questions regarding the various activities for
 Communication Research Reports 209

which a person uses the Internet: send or read e-mail; take part in chat rooms or
online discussions with other people; search online for information or to find infor-
mation about someone that the participant knows or might meet; create a blog; read
someone else’s blog; rate a product, service, or person using an online rating system;
use online classified ads or sites like Craig’s list; and use online social or professional
networking sites like Friendster or LinkedIn (M ¼ 2.30, SD ¼ 1.61; for question word-
ing, see Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005).
The following item was used to measure perceived reliability of the Internet:
‘‘Thinking about all of the different things you do on the Internet, in general, do
you think the information you find online is very reliable, somewhat reliable, not
too reliable, or not at all reliable?’’ Responses ranged from 1 (not at all reliable) to
4 (very reliable) (M ¼ 3.21, SD ¼ 0.55).
Trust was measured by the following item: ‘‘Generally speaking, would you say
that most people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with
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people?’’ Responses were coded as yes ¼ 1 and no ¼ 0 (M ¼ 0.35, SD ¼ 0.48).

The outcome variable was measured by the following item: ‘‘Have you ever gone
to an online dating website or other site where you can meet people online?’’
Responses were coded as yes ¼ 1 and no ¼ 0 (M ¼ 0.12, SD ¼ 0.32).

Results
Given the dependent variable was dichotomous, logistic regression was conducted to
assess the impact of the predictor variables on the likelihood that participants would
use online dating sites. The model included six independent variables: age, sex, edu-
cation, trust, total number of tasks that a person uses the Internet for, and perceived
reliability of the Internet. The full model containing all predictors was statistically sig-
nificant, v2(6, N ¼ 1,145) ¼ 131.38, p < .001. The model accounted for 21.1%
(Nagelkerke R2) of the variance in online dating usage (see Table 1).

Table 1 Logistic Regression Predicting Online Dating Usage

Variable b SE Wald df Significance Exp(B)

Age
0.017 0.007 5.975 1 0.150 0.983

Sex
0.202 0.202 1.009 1 0.315 0.817
Education
0.083 0.070 1.394 1 0.238 0.920
Total no. of tasks performed 0.530 0.57 85.775 1 0.010 1.699
on the Internet
Trusting of others
4.25 0.220 3.723 1 0.054 0.654
Perceived reliability
0.104 0.182 0.329 1 0.566 0.901
of the Internet
Constant
1.839 0.728 6.385 1 0.012 0.159
2
Note. All coefficients are unstandardized. Model fit: Nagelkerke R ¼ 0.21.

p < .10.  p < .05.
 210 T. Kang & L. H. Hoffman
Of the six independent variables, only two were statistically significant. Table 1
shows the logistic regression coefficients, Wald tests, and odds ratios for each
predictor.
H1, which purported that trust would predict online dating, was supported and
significant (p ¼ .05). The odds ratio of 0.65 for trust was <1, indicating that respon-
dents who specified they were more trusting of others were 0.65 times less likely to
use an online dating site, controlling for all other variables in the model.
H2 proposed that sex would predict the likelihood of an individual to use online
dating sites, but this hypothesis was not supported.
H3 suggested that the number of tasks an individual performs on the Internet
would predict online dating, and this hypothesis was supported (p < .05). The total
number of tasks an individual performed on the Internet was the strongest predictor
of online dating usage with an odds ratio of 1.70. This indicates that for each
additional activity conducted through the Internet, he or she was nearly twice as
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likely to use online dating, controlling for all other variables in the model.
H4, H5, and H6 were not supported (see Table 1). In other words, age, education,
and perceived reliability of the Internet were not significant predictors of online
dating usage.

Discussion
This study sought to examine factors that predict the likelihood of online dating
usage using hyperpersonal CMC as a theoretical framework. The model tested six
predictor variables: age, sex, education, trust, total number of tasks that a person per-
forms on the Internet, and perceived reliability of the Internet. Supporting H1 and
H3, the results revealed that trust and the total number of tasks that a person per-
forms on the Internet were significant predictors of the likelihood of online dating
usage. Specifically, a person who is trusting of others is less likely to use an online
dating site, and an individual who performs a greater number of tasks on the Internet
is more likely to use an online dating site. Age, sex, education, and perceived
reliability of the Internet were not found to be significant predictors of online dating
usage.
The findings provide an initial step in understanding what leads an individual to
use an online dating site. The significant result that an individual who performs a
greater number of tasks on the Internet is more likely to use an online dating site
provides support for Donn and Sherman’s (2002) suggestion that those who use
the Internet for a greater variety of tasks are likely to feel more comfortable with
using the Internet for different tasks, such as online dating. Therefore, an individual
with a greater number of tasks performed on the Internet may feel more comfortable
with using an online dating site, as they are already accustomed to using the Internet
for many other tasks.
Given the attention to the variable of trust when it comes to studying online dat-
ing (Donn & Sherman, 2002; Gibbs et al., 2006; Ramirez et al., 2002; Whitty & Carr,
2006), this study sought to specifically determine the factors that lead an individual
 Communication Research Reports 211

to use online dating sites. We hypothesized that trust plays a role in predicting online
dating, and the analysis revealed a significant and interesting result. Although we did
not hypothesize a direction for this relationship, it is interesting to note that, rather
than trust increasing the likelihood of using the Internet for online dating, which
might be expected, we found the opposite. Individuals who were more trusting of
others were less likely to use an online dating site. This may be because individuals
feel they can trust people they meet in person, but they feel different about trusting
people they meet online.
Furthermore, people who use online dating sites may be attracted to the ability to
better control information online, whereas those who are more trusting of others
may lack this need for control and, therefore, are less likely to use online dating sites.
Because a primary concern of using online dating sites is whether the person behind
the computer on the other end is honest in their self-presentation and self-disclosure
(recall the famous New Yorker cartoon where, ‘‘on the Internet, nobody knows you’re
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a dog’’; Steiner, 1993, p. 61), this result has important implications in the ongoing
concern of trust and online dating. Although many have suggested that CMC fosters
an environment to develop interpersonal relationships in which the lack of in-person
verbal and physical cues do not pose a barrier, perhaps this result implies the
opposite—that interpersonal relationships cannot be formed in the same manner
online as in person, and barriers do exist. Previous studies have found that indivi-
duals are primarily concerned with trust in online dating, including the use of decep-
tion and misrepresentation (Donn & Sherman, 2002; Gibbs et al., 2006; Whitty,
2008). However, many continue to be concerned about whom they are meeting
online and if they can, in fact, trust them (in that they really are who they say they
are). It appears that how people discern if someone is trustworthy in person changes
when entering the online world. This warrants future research to expand on the
factors that lead to online dating.
Of noteworthiness is H6’s nonsignificant finding. Perceived reliability was determ-
ined by whether individuals found the information they find on the Internet to be
reliable. This variable did not predict online dating because perhaps individuals do
not perceive the information they discover about other online dating users as reliable,
which also supports the notion that individuals are not trusting of others online.
Furthermore, the results support previous studies’ (Donn & Sherman, 2002; Gibbs
et al., 2006) conclusions that online dating users are concerned about others
misrepresenting themselves online.
Some limitations exist with this study. Specifically, age poses a concern. The mean
age of this study is 51 and, therefore, does not account for a younger population.
Younger adults may be more likely to utilize online dating sites because the popu-
lation of individuals who are single, in general, may be of a younger age group. Thus,
the study may not be an accurate representation of the population of online dating
users.
Second, the measurement of the trust variable presents a limitation. Unfortu-
nately, this is one limitation that results from the use of secondary data. Nonetheless,
past research (Robinson, Shaver, & Wrightsman, 1991; Russell, Weiss, &
 212 T. Kang & L. H. Hoffman
Mendelsohn, 1989) indicates that a single-item scale has its benefits and can be suf-
ficient; its usefulness depends on the nature of the study. The use of a single-item
measure can help prevent lengthy, cumbersome surveys, and allows more questions
to be asked assessing other variables (Stewart, Hays, & Ware, 1988). In this study’s
survey, using a single-item scale for trust permitted room to ask the several necessary
questions regarding the variety of tasks individuals perform on the Internet. Despite
this limitation of a single-item measure of trust and given the important relevance of
trust in online dating, this study provides contributing evidence that trust is, in fact, a
strong concern among individuals’ decisions to engage in online dating, even when
measured with a single item. Yet, we suggest that future research includes a
multi-itemed measure of trust.
Another limitation is the operationalization of the number of tasks one performs
on the Internet. This study assumed that the greater number of tasks accomplished
through the Internet, the more comfortable the person is with the Internet. However,
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as the Internet has become the norm for standard communication between people in
personal and professional contexts, simply because one uses the Internet for a greater
amount of tasks does not dictate his or her level of comfort in using the Internet for
different tasks. For example, an individual may use the Internet extensively for his or
her job, but this does not mean he or she is comfortable with using the Internet for
personal use. Simple frequencies support this idea, such that nearly 97% of online
daters in this sample also used e-mail. Other activities that had the greatest percen-
tages of online dating usage included searching online for information about some-
one (56%), reading an online blog (53%), and taking part in online discussions and
chat rooms (52%).
Further studies should be conducted with a more precise operationalization to
include which tasks warrant greater involvement than, for example, the mundane
task of sending an e-mail. In this way, the variable can better differentiate between
simply using the Internet for a certain amount of tasks and the involvement of the
tasks that may lead to greater comfort with using the Internet for an array of items,
as greater comfort in using the Internet could predict online dating usage.
In addition, this would further expand Donn and Sherman’s (2002) notion that older
and more-experienced students may be more likely to use online dating sites than
younger students because of greater use of the Internet. As this study used a non-student
sample, further studies should be conducted to examine complexity and involvement of
the greater amount of tasks in student and non-student populations.
Despite the limitations, the study provides an initial step in explaining what leads
individuals to use online dating sites. Trust and the total number of tasks that a per-
son performs on the Internet were found to be significant predictors of online dating
usage; individuals who were more trusting of others were less likely to use online
dating sites, and those who perform more tasks on the Internet are more likely to
date online. Further studies should be conducted to provide additional empirical
findings and to determine as to what may decrease one’s concern about trust in
online dating and how this may be related to other predictors of an individual to
pursue online dating.
 Communication Research Reports 213

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