DATING AND POPULAR MUSIC: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
This study is an attempt to ascertain whether there is a significant correlation between a college student's likelihood to be dating determined by whether or not he or she listens to popular music. Additionally, attention was also paid to how important the issue of trust was in forming friendships. In assessing a student's openness to dating emphasis in this study was placed upon security within romantic relationships. Students within this study were asked to comment about their attitudes toward relationships. Students were asked to respond to the importance of relationships, their individual need to be involved in a relationship, and what they determined the goal of a relationship to be.
Data was collected to test three separate hypotheses about dating behavior and attitudes toward popular music. The first hypothesis held that "involvement in popular music is greatest when one is looking for a romantic relationship" (11). A second hypothesis predicts that "those who need a relationship , or who find a relationship an important part of their life, will be more involved in popular music than those who do not" (11). A third hypothesis contends that "those who hold traditional attitudes toward dating will be less involved in popular music than those who see no need to postpone sexual activity and who even seek immediate sexual fulfillment" (11). This study attempted to determine which of these three hypotheses was the most accurate.
Data analysis within this study will rely upon an item factor as well as bivariate and trivariate analysis.
The data that was used for this sample was obtained from a
non-random sample of four sociology classes. These four classes consisted of two "Introductory Sociology" classes, one focused on "Social Problems" and one on "Social Change", a third class on "Sociology of the Family" and a fourth on "Social Change" (11). A total num...