We are very excited to announce the publication of the first open-access paper of our interview and focus group data set from the broader DECRA project! The paper published in the International Journal of Social Research Methodology explores the challenges and suggested practices for recruiting cisgender heterosexual men for studies on sex and intimacy.
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash. Four young men are sitting on a hill laughing together and overlooking a city a in the distance.
What's it about?
"Combining ‘sexuality research-as-dirty work’ and ‘CMM’ frameworks for recruiting cisgender, heterosexual men for a study on sex, sexuality, and intimacy" looks at the difficulties in recruiting this population group for qualitative research. CMM (critical men and masculinity) is often a framework used to support more active participation in research, which relies on a set of strategies that understand how men have been socialised into their gender, and using those to encourage participation. However, many of the strategies advocated by this approach do not necessarily work when the study is exploring aspects of sex and intimacy. Taking a 'sexuality research-as-dirty-work' approach, this paper looks at additional strategies to get men to participate in research about sex and associated topics where CMM frameworks may not be successful.
What did you find?
The paper notes the success of using Facebook advertising that links to an eligibility survey and associated website. It notes several strategies in the design and language of the research advertisement. It also notes less than a 5% engagement rate from initial click on the study through Facebook to actual study enrollment and completion, and highlights this as an important consideration for researchers struggling to meet their participation sample sizes.
Where can I read it?
This paper is open access/freely available so can be viewed by anyone! It can be read here.
Citation
Waling, A. (2023). Combining ‘sex-as-dirty work’ and ‘CMM’ frameworks for recruiting cisgender, heterosexual men for a study on sex, sexuality, and intimacy. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2023.2166272