How does reading romance novels impact women’s sex lives?

gretchena · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Washington, DC

How does reading romance novels impact women’s sex lives?

If this question got your attention, consider participating in an anonymous online survey to help find an answer! Women over age 18 who read romance novels are invited to take part.

The survey is a mix of short answer and multiple-choice questions and should take about 30 minutes to complete. Follow this link to participate in the study: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3u7P5dYxQys1rYOoRKKq4w_3d_3d

This study is being conducted by Gretchen Anderton, a doctoral student in education at Widener University. If you have any questions about the study, you can contact her at gxa0302@mail.widener.edu.

(Posted with permission.)

willaful · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 1468

Well, I have to say that after answering the entire survey, I was pretty pissed to be told my responses were "not acceptable for participation." You might want to consider a redesign there.
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Kristie(J) · Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject:

Willaful: I got the same response although I wasn't even allowed to take the survey. Bit off putting it is isn't it?

jebe · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 820 Location: Jersey

I got the same response, I'm not just put off I want to know why I was disqualified! Evil or Very Mad

It better not be age discrimination!

P.S. Kristie(J), how you feelin? I saw you weren't feeling up to snuff after San Fran, any better?
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nikkiphilton · Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Posts: 193 Location: El Paso

Same response for me. I wonder what is acceptable for participation?

That person might want to redefine the parameters if she wants any answers that are "acceptable for participation". On the other hand, it made me think a little more closely about my sex life. Maybe I'd better go talk to my husband.

angela · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 96

Well I was able to complete and send the survy in with no problems.Not sure why they wouldn't accept your alls.

MMcA · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 622

Made me curious, so I tried, just to see. Didn't want me either. I don't live in the US, so that might be the reason.

I e-mailed Gretchna to let her know, just in case she hadn't seen this thread.

gretchena · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Washington, DC

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the study thus far, and deep apologies to anyone who has been frustrated by an error in the computer system!

When I set up the survey, I had a model for dealing with people under the age of 18 or who were not women. But I improperly placed one of the pages, which resulted in some people getting a response telling them that they are not eligible to participate.

Please know that I did have the survey tested by about 20 people before posting it, but this error slipped through, and again I apologize. I can imagine that getting all the way to the end of the survey and being told that you are disqualified is very frustrating. I am very sorry for that.

Thank you to everyone who brought this to my attention. I think I have fixed the problem and the survey should be working correctly now. Again, thank you for your feedback and participation!

Gretchen

Elizabeth Rolls · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1026 Location: Australia

Don't know that it is working correctly, Gretchen. I was hoofed out before even getting as far as the questions. I double checked my answers and I hadn't said I was a male or under 18 or anything stupid like that.

Elizabeth

gretchena · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Washington, DC

I just saw Elizabeth's post and I am working to figure out what happened. It may be that the changes are taking time to take effect? I'm checking different ways to see if I can replicate the problem.

Gretchen

Rosario · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 326 Location: Liverpool, UK

Are you allowing answers from outside the US? I didn't get even as far as the questions when I put UK as my location, but I went back and changed it to US, just to see what happened, and it did take me to the questions.
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Kristie(J) · Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:

I'm getting a chuckle out of the fact that so many of us are on the bummed side that we can't respond to a survey about our sex lives. Something about that tickles my funny bone *g*.
Thanks Gretchena for taking the time to work on it.
And Jebe - I'm slowly getting back to my normal self. I think it's fear of going to the doctor that's making me get well and my suitcases from SF are no longer still on the living room floor. I moved them to the bedroom and they are mostly unpacked now *g*

Sandra Schwab · Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Frankfurt, Germany

Gretchen, I couldn't even get to the questions; I got rejected after filling in the first page.

But I have to say that I find the title of your survey - Opium or Viagra? The effects of reading romance novels on women's sex lives - incredibly insulting. Not only does it evoke memories of old-school romance studies (after publications such as Juliet Flesch's FROM AUSTRALIA WITH LOVE or Pamela Regis's A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ROMANCE NOVEL one would have thought we had moved beyond labelling romance as a drug or tranquillizer), but it also suggests that romance novels are all about sex. Which they aren't. So I can't help wondering whether you are actually a romance reader yourself and whether you are familiar with recent studies in the romance genre.

Sandra
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www.sandraschwab.com

willaful · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 1468

Kristie(J) · Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject:

I've been trying to do it again - because as you say, I want to help negate the stereotyping that goes on to those who read romance, but the link isn't working at all for me now. It just brings me right back to this page.