Attraction Survey

This survey was designed by researchers from the Psychology Department of Marist College. We are interested in gathering your opinions regarding the issue of what factors attract people to each other in romantic relationships.

  • Your participation in this survey is strictly voluntary, so you do not have to participate if you do not wish to do so.
  • If there is a question on this survey that you don’t care to answer, feel free to go on to the next one.
  • DO NOT put your name on this form. All surveys will be completely anonymous. Your responses will be mixed in with other people, so you will not be identified in any way in the results.
  • It should take about 4 to 5 minutes to full out the survey.

If you have any questions about the survey, or are interested in learning about the results, feel free to contact he person who is administering the survey to you, or contact:

Dr. Michael A. Britt

Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Marist College

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601

(914) 575-3000 x2972

Your time and input are greatly appreciated.

Instructions: The following questions ask you about what you look for in a romantic relationship. Please respond by placing a check mark (or number when instructed) in the space provided after each question. When asked about “your partner” please think about one person, past or present, with whom you had a romantic relationship that lasted at least 3 months.

1) How similar are you and your partner? Rate the degree of similarity between yourself and your partner on the following topics by placing a check mark on the line to the right of each topic:

Topic / Very Similar / Somewhat Similar / Not Too Similar / Very Dissimilar
Religion
Education
Politics
Music
Family Income

2) How close did you live to your partner when the relationship first began (if you had to drive to the person’s residence by car)?

_____ Within ½ hour

_____ From ½ hour to 1 hour

_____ More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours

_____ More than 2 hours but less than 3 hours

_____ More than 3 hours

3) We all have an idea as to what makes a person more or less physically attractive. As honestly as you can please rate your physical attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Very Unattractive and 10 = Very Attractive. Please put that number on the line below:

_____

4) When you first meet someone, how important are the following characteristics?

Characteristic / Very Important / Somewhat Important / Not Too important / Very Unimportant
Intelligence
Looks
Sense of Humor
Money
Amt. of Education
Height

5) As honestly as you can, please rate your partner’s physical attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Very Unattractive and 10 = Very Attractive. Please put that number on the line below:

_____

6) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Very Dissatisfied and 10 = Very Satisfied, how satisfied, overall, would you say you are/were with your partner?

_____

7) Couples differ in various ways in how much of themselves they give to the relationship. As honestly as you can, how much do you think you contribute to your relationship compared to your partner?

_____ A lot more than him/her

_____ A little more than him/her

_____ About the same as him/her

_____ A little less than him/her

_____ A lot less than him/her

8) What is your gender?

_____ Male_____ Female

9) What year are you currently in?

_____ First-year_____ Sophomore_____ Junior_____ Senior

Thank you again for your help with this survey