ABSTRACT

In recent years, the Internet has become an increasingly important venue for meeting partners. While meeting online may have a range of effects on family-related outcomes, studies on the link between meeting online and family-related outcomes are scarce. Using eight follow-up waves of the German Family Panel (Pairfam), with observations from 8177 persons from three birth cohorts between 2009 and 2016, this study investigates whether meeting online is associated with relationship satisfaction, intention to separate, separation, moving in together, intentions to have a child, and entry into parenthood. More specifically, a series of between-person regressions are used to compare those who met their partners offline and those who met their partners online. Results show that meeting online is associated with likelihood to separate and intentions to have a child in the youngest birth cohort, and transition to parenthood in the oldest birth cohort. These findings are discussed with the concepts of selectivity and intentionality in searching for and meeting partners online.

摘要

近年来，互联网已成为会议合作伙伴日益重要的场所。虽然在线会议可能会对家庭相关结果产生一系列影响，但关于在线会议与家庭相关结果之间联系的研究却很少。本研究使用德国家庭小组 (Pairfam) 的八次跟进波，对 2009 年至 2016 年间来自三个出生队列的 8177 人的观察，调查在线会议是否与关系满意度、分离意向、分离、同居相关，打算要孩子，并进入父母身份。更具体地说，使用一系列人际回归来比较那些离线认识他们的合作伙伴的人和那些在线认识他们的合作伙伴的人。结果表明，在线会议与分离的可能性和打算在最年轻的出生队列中生育孩子以及在最年长的出生队列中过渡到父母身份有关。这些发现与在线搜索和会见合作伙伴的选择性和意向性概念进行了讨论。