According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, disclosing victimization on dating profiles reduces overall matches, regardless of one’s race or sex. The researchers suggest that the stigma associated with the victim label may discourage users from disclosing prior victimization.
Victimization can have negative consequences on one’s physical and mental health, including anxiety and depression, sleep disturbance, and attempted suicide. As well, individuals who disclose prior victimization may encounter negative social reactions, such as blame and stigma. In this work, Douglas N. Evans and colleagues studied how the victim status influences one’s ability to enter romantic relationships on dating apps.
The researchers used an experimental audit design, which are field studies where members of the research team pose as individuals seeking a certain resource to examine reactions that could be suggestive of discrimination. Six dating apps were selected, with the study population consisting of individuals between ages 18-60 within 100 miles of the greater New York City area. Six unique dating profiles were created, including one Black, Latino, and White man, and one Black, Latina, and White woman.
To construct these profiles, the researchers received 3 potential profile photos from 40 participants (recruited from within their social networks). These photos were piloted among a group of 25 undergraduate students, to assess for the perceived race of the individual, believability of the photographs as online dating profile pictures, and attractiveness. Photos rated as the most racially homogenous, believable, and attractive were selected.
The dating profiles included three photos of each person, biographical text, as well as responses to questions relating to demographics, interests, and dating app intentions. All male profiles were named Chris, and all female profiles were named Katherine. The experimental and control conditions used identical profiles. However, in the experimental condition, there was an additional statement disclosing prior victimization, reading: “In my past I was a victim, but I’m empowered toward my future.”
Each member of the research team was assigned to one study profile (12 total). At any given time, only one male and female study profile could be active. Researchers attempted to match with 1000 dating app users per study, by “swiping right” on every profile they would come across. The final data set included at least 72,000 swipes. Demographic information of potential matches, including race, age, location, number and content of messages sent by matched users, and the outcome of each swipe (i.e., match or no match) were recorded.
Evans and colleagues found that nearly all the profiles in the victim disclosure condition received fewer matches; this was the case across the Black, Latin American, White and male/female profiles, suggesting the victim stigma is not specific to race or gender. Compared to White men and women, dating app matches for almost all other profiles were more likely to be interracial. This finding extended to the victim condition, with one exception. App users who matched with the White male profile disclosing victimization were more likely to be White, suggesting that prior victimization discourages women of colour from matching with White men.
The researchers note that the primary limitation of this work is the unnatural approach to disclosing victim status. While people are becoming more comfortable disclosing prior victimization, through hashtags like #MeToo and #NotOkay on social media, dating applications are an uncommon medium for disclosing this type of information. Another limitation is the inability to access a fully random sample, given that each app uses a specific algorithm to expose its users to other individuals on the app. Thus, the app’s algorithm may have influenced the types of dating profiles the research team would come across.
The study, “To date a “victim”: testing the stigma of the victim label through an experimental audit of dating apps”, was authored by Douglas N. Evans, Chunrye Kim, and Nicole M. Sachs.
