HamPoll: Hamilton's Polling Organization, a student group at Hamilton College, uses online surveys to provide accurate and useful information about the preferences and opinions of the Hamilton community.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Hookups and Long-Distance Relationships Prevalent at Hamilton

By Kye Lippold, HamPoll Co-Chair

A survey conducted in mid-February by HamPoll offers a unique perspective into the details of the dating scene at Hamilton. Among the primary findings were that students widely believed that short-term relationships were easier to attain than long-term relationships, and that 18% of Hamilton students were in long-distance relationships.

Many students reported a culture conducive to hookups over long-term relationships; among students who had an opinion about both relationship types, 70% of students said it was difficult to find new long-term relationship partners at Hamilton but easy to find short-term partners. However, 61% of students said they would prefer to settle down with one person during their college years rather than  “play the field” (17% preferred the latter, with 21% not sure).  There was no gender difference on this question, with all demographic groups about equally likely to prefer settling down with one person (except for seniors, who were 17% more likely to prefer to play the field).

A lack of romantic opportunities could be a factor in Hamilton students' difficulty finding partners; 54% of students thought there were not enough events on campus where couples could go on dates, versus 20% who thought there were enough opportunities. However, dating at Hamilton was relatively infrequent, with 31% of dating students not in long-distance relationships reporting going on dates with their partner once per week or more, 29% going on dates a few times per month and 38% going out a few times per semester or less often.

43% of respondents reported being in a relationship, with 51% of dating students having been in their relationship for one year or longer and 70% of them having met their current partner at Hamilton. Half of all dating students reported knowing their partner for less than three months before going out, while the other half knew their partner for a longer period prior to dating. On the other end of the spectrum, 10% of the sample reported never having been in a relationship. When asked why they were not currently in a relationship, only 12% of single students reported that they were not interested in a relationship; the most common response was being unable to “find the right person,” with 38% of respondents offering this reason.

Groups more likely to be in relationships included students in Greek societies (13% more likely than non-Greek students), “A” students (9% more likely than students with lower grades), Darkside students (13% more likely than Lightsiders), students who thought intelligence was “very important” in a partner (10% more likely than those valuing intelligence less), and students who had been in at least two relationships in their lives (19% more likely than those with less experience). Men who identified as gay or bisexual were less likely than other students to say they were in relationships (32% less likely on average), while students who preferred to play the field rather than settle down with one person were 15% less likely to be dating.

Fully 42% of those in relationships (18% of the entire sample) reported that their relationship was long-distance, a substantial subgroup. Students on varsity sports teams were 18% more likely to be in long-distance pairings when controlling for other factors, while students who met their partner at Hamilton were 75% less likely.

Students in relationships reported spending a median of 2.5 hours per day with their partner, with substantial variation (90% of students reported spending from less than one to six hours per day). Students in long-distance relationships spent only about one fewer hour per day with their partner than those not in long-distance relationships, while those dating someone they met at Hamilton spent one hour per day more. Grayside students spent about an hour more with their partners than Lightsiders or Darksiders, as did students who found physical appearance very important when choosing a partner. Those who preferred to “play the field” spent 1.2 fewer hours per day with their partners on average.

The survey received 546 responses, for about a 31 percent response rate. Women and white students were overrepresented in the survey sample, while students on financial aid and international students were underrepresented; however, this pattern was consistent with previous HamPoll surveys, suggesting selection bias related to the survey topic may have been a relatively minor issue.

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