Dating Across Race: An Examination of African American Internet Personal Advertisements
Shauna B. Wilson,
William D. McIntosh*,
Salvatore P. Insana II
Georgia Southern University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: wmcintosh{at}georgiasouthern.edu.
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Abstract |
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The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with Black Americans’ dating preferences. Two hundred profiles of Black individuals in the United States (100 men and 100 women) were accessed on the Internet dating site Match.com. Fourteen demographic and personal variables were correlated with willingness to date Whites, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians, as well as other Blacks. Blacks willing to interracially date tended to be male, young, and/or attractive, tended to smoke, abstain from exercise, and either definitely or possibly wanted children. Willingness to date intraracially was related to living in any geographical region except the West, being a nonsmoker, and being sure of either wanting or not wanting children. Factors unrelated to dating preference included having or not having children, education, political standpoint, religion, body type, and drinking habits. Both mate selection theory and exchange theory were applied in interpreting results.
