Abstract:
The importance of dating can never be over
emphasized as it is a prerequisite that should be considered
before going into any form of courtship that can either lead to
marriage or not. As a result of the dramatic increase in Internet
usage, there has been a proliferation of numerous online dating
sites that allow people to meet and date in a virtual environment.
This form of socialization has been perceived by many to be
either a blessing or a curse depending on individuals’ opinions
and experiences due to the present level of increase in divorce
rate among those who are married. The study considered the
perception of online dating in sustaining marriages. This study
employed descriptive statistics using quantitative research
methodology which involves the use of questionnaires as the
research instrument and the questionnaire. Data used for the
analysis were collected with the use of a well-structured
questionnaire administered to 50 respondents in the PhD family
wholeness class of 2015/2016 and the analysis was done with the
help of Statistical Package Service Solution (SPSS) version 21.0.
The sample size was chosen based on Convenience Sampling
method. Our finding shows that 26.2% of the respondents are
within 21-30 years age range, 38.1% fall into 31-40 age bracket,
and 23.8% are within the 41-50 years age range. 64.3% of the
respondents are married while 35.7% are single. However, 51%
of the respondents admitted that dating and marrying an online
friend is possible if only the person has a good heart and fears
God. Furthermore, 72.61% of the respondents do not believe that
online dating can lead to sustainable marriage while 27.39% of
the population sampled believes otherwise. The result of the
analysis evidenced that a larger percentage of the population
surveyed do not accept that online dating can actually lead to a
sustainable marriage. The study recommends that while people
may engage in online dating, it is advisable they meet physically
to become more acquainted before considering marriage.
