Survey Results

Total Responses: 67

Demographics:

• 58.2% female, 41.8% male
• ages ranged from 13 to 60+ with the most frequent occurring between 17 and 20

Introvert or extrovert?

• 41.8% extrovert
• 50.7% introvert
• Few noted that it depended on the situation or they considered themselves to be a bit of both
• Does being an introvert sometimes have more positive connotations than an extrovert? Are there a lot of misconceptions surrounding these two terms?
  • Often times people consider introverts to be quiet, shy and maybe more respectful than extroverts who could often be considered as loud, rude and poor listeners. Introversion is actually defined as those who are drained by others and social interaction. They regain their energy by spending time alone. Extroverts on the other hand gain energy from spending time with others.

Group Size/composition

• The majority of people (47.8%) noted that they socialize in average sized groups of 3-5 people. 38.8% of people answered that they spend time in small groups of people and only 11.9% answered a large group.
• The large majority of people spend time with both males and females (67.2%)
  • There are really no trends when looking at group size and composition. It seems that people like to hang out with diverse crowds and have no real bias when choosing a male or female friends (based on their own gender)

Have you ever been excluded from a group of people?

• Some of the main reasons people noted that they were excluded from a social group is because they did not share similar beliefs or they acted in a way others did not like. Instead of confronting the issue, peers tended to simply not inform others of social events they were planning in hopes to close others off.
• Another good question to ask for further research could be "Are there better ways of letting people know you do not want to hang out with them anymore? Is there ever a situation when purposely excluding someone from a group is justifiable?

Dealing with social exclusion

• Most people noted that exclusion bothered them and they learned to cope in their own way
  • Many people in this category noted that they were highly affected by social exclusion and it affected their ability to form connections with others in the future
• Some indicated that they did not care and they simply moved on to find a better group of people
• Few confronted those who had excluded them

Have you ever felt the need to change your personality to fit in? why or why not?

• About 26 people answered this question with a no answer mentioning some variation of staying true to who they are or that they do not care about what others think of them.
  • I think this answer is a common among those people who are extroverted and maybe even more confident in their own identity
• Many others wrote that they felt they needed to change in order to fit in, to get people to like them, to be accepted, to fit stereotypes, or because of peer pressure.
  • This question is one that highly depends on personality. As much as I would personally like to stay true to myself when choosing friends, I unconsciously change the way I act or behave in order to create a certain impression to others. This poses problems when trying to form close relationships with others.