The Donaldson Adoption Institute | Untangling the Web II
To gain a fuller understanding of how those affected by adoption use the Internet and social media, and are affected by it, the Institute has conducted the first significant research on the subject with an online survey of users. The survey targeted members of the adoption “triad” – adopted adults, birth/first parents and adoptive parents – as well as child welfare and adoption professionals. A number of strategies were used to reach possible participants. The study was announced via DAI’s website and monthly newsletter; in addition, online interest, advocacy and support groups were asked to publicize the study, and agencies were asked to announce it through their newsletters, websites and social media. !
!When we began analysis of the data on October 15, 2013, slightly more than 2,000
participants had responded. Adoptive parents made up the largest cohort (1,216), followed by adopted persons (392), first/birth parents (235) and adoption professionals (182). The Institute continues to collect data from these groups and, at the time of this report’s publication, had more than 3.000. DAI will continue analyzing these data to increase understanding of the Internet’s impact. !
!In “Untangling the Web II,” we present the findings from this groundbreaking
nationwide examination of the Internet’s use in adoption. Because the survey sought to learn more about an area that has been little studied, we included many open-ended questions that allowed participants to explain their perceptions and experiences. This report includes many of their comments, in their own voices, both to illustrate important points and to bring key experiences to life. !
!We report the findings of each of the responding groups separately and then, in a
concluding section, bring together findings from across groups and offer recommendations for how the adoption field should move forward to make the Internet a safer, more useful and more beneficial arm of adoption practice. !
!Respondents to our survey made clear that adopted people, birth/first parents and
adoptive parents make regular use of the Internet and social media for a variety of adoption-related purposes. Thus, they are like the majority of Americans for whom the Internet has become a part of daily life.!
!As demonstrated in Appendix I – describing the pervasive use of the Internet
across all segments of American society – Americans have rapidly and thoroughly embraced the Internet and social media. In 1995, only 14 percent of adults in the U.S. used the Internet, but that grew to 50 percent by 2000, reached 75 percent in 2008, and stood at 85 percent as of spring 2013.1 The breadth of Internet use crosses most demographic lines, with no statistically significant difference between
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“Internet Adoption, 1995-2013,” Pew Research Center, Pew Internet and American Life Project (hereafter: PIALP), http://pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Trend-Data-(Adults)/Internet-Adoption.aspx, accessed October 30, 2013. The definitions of Internet use evolve slightly over time. For 1995, internet users include those who computers to access online bulletin boards and information services. For 2000, internet users include those accessing the World Wide Web, while the post-2005 definition also include those who send and receive emails. The 2011 report from the Economic and Statistics Administration and the National Telecommunications Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home, reported very similar statistics (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2011/exploring-digital-nation-computer-andinternet-use-home, accessed October 30, 2013).
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