The highlight of my research this semester was creating and launching a survey aimed at those who had adopted domestically, as well as those currently in the process. I wanted to capture data that hint at the rising role of social media and the Web in the adoption process. I used Qualtrics to conduct the survey, promoted through social media (Facebook and Twitter) and received 159 responses. The survey opened on April 16th and close on April 29th at 11:59 PM. Halfway through that period, I decided to pay $15 for a Facebook ad (which included a link to the survey) to see if it would help my response rate. In the 24 hours the Facebook ad campaign ran, my post was viewed 4,794 times and resulted in 25 responses to the survey. Social media did result in a lot of sharing within adoption communities and a good overall response. Here is a link to the survey that those who responded completed. Please note, not every respondent answered every question. Click this link to access the entire report with all the collected data.
There is a great deal of information. For this reason, I felt it was best to break down the data, so I created separate reports for each group as follows (click on the links to open a PDF of the report):
Those who are actively trying to adopt a baby now (hopeful adoptive parents)
Those who adopted a baby in the last five years
Those who adopted a baby more than five years ago
Altogether, 95 respondents who successfully adopted answered the question, “How long did it take from the time you were home study approved until the time your baby was born”? Of those, 65% indicated it took less than one year, with 34% adopting within six months and 21% adopting in six months to a year. Only 3% of respondents said the process took more than three years. For some, the process can take years, but it’s nice to see that nearly two-thirds of respondents who adopted a baby domestically were able to do so in a year or less.
When we look at what methods adoptive parents used to successfully match with the baby they would adopt, the chart below shows a shift has taken place over time. Among those who have adopted within the last five years, it’s clear that more people are matching using the Internet and ever fewer people are matching with the help of an adoption agency. Some of the “other” methods that are leading to successful adoptions include online newspaper ads, being active in chat rooms, and personal connections with a birth mother. Does the use of the Internet and Social Media make people opt to “be in control” of their adoption process and decide against using an agency? It’s hard to say for sure, as there are other variables at play, such as the cost and potential wait time associated with using an adoption agency.
Another observation was the differences in response to the question, “When promoting your wish to adopt via the internet, what methods did you used or are you using, please indicate all that apply.” The respondents could choose multiple answers. The top three ways people were promoting their wish to adopt varied depending on where they were in the process. The data shows that right now, those currently adopting are using Facebook pages more frequently for outreach than the group that adopted within the last five years (66% for hopeful adoptive parents vs. 36% for those that adopted within the last five years. Social media are now playing a role in adoption. Five or more years ago, hopeful adoptive parents pursuing adoption didn’t use social media at all and used the Internet on a limited basis, if at all. For those who adopted more than five years ago, NONE reported using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost chances their Web pages would be seen, Twitter, a Google AdWords campaign or creating and posting a video to YouTube. Click on the graphic below to view it larger.
Another key indicator of how the Internet and social media have changed adoption was the response to the question “Where did you receive THE MOST contacts regarding potential situations?” The graphic below lists the three most-cited responses to where the respondents received the most contacts regarding potential adoption situations. While this survey is not statistically significant, the data appear to reflect a shift, as well. It seems that although adoption agencies have the most situations, the percentages are dropping and it appears hopeful adoptive parents are doing more outreach on their own and are less likely to sign up with an agency. For those trying to adopt a baby now, the Internet and social media are playing more of a role. It’s also easier to network with family, friends and others hoping to adopt by using social media. The Internet and social media are also cost efficient and can widely circulate a message within minutes. It seems print ads have lost ground as one of the top ways to receive contacts about potential situations. This is not surprising, based on the decline in readership of newspapers and increase in use of the Internet and mobile devices.
Some of the text feedback written on the survey was also very enlightening. I encourage you to read through all the comments so that you can read feedback from a wide variety of respondents. One respondent who said he/she adopted in 2007 (the baby was born within six months of being approved to adopt) wrote:
“Our daughter’s birth mother found our ad in a local daily paper and she was born a little over three weeks later. We had 23 contacts from potential birth mothers in total, only 6 of those 23 were from print ads, in spite of spending $1,300 or so a month on print ads. Most contacts were via the internet.”
A hopeful adoptive parent wrote:
“Print advertising is hit or miss. Thinking out of the box is clearly the way to go. We tried a billboard and although it was expensive ($2,500) for one month, it yielded us the greatest number of impressions and got us PR coverage and made our phone ring.”
Conclusion
It is my hope that aspiring adoptive parents will look at this information and use it to see what others are doing, or what they should be doing. If you are doing what everyone else is doing, maybe you should change it up. For example, only 10% of hopeful adoptive parents in this survey reported that they created a video and posted it on YouTube. Maybe you need to think outside the box to increase your chances of becoming parents.
It’s important to keep in mind that the new communication environment is not a panacea for adoption. The quote below came from a respondent who adopted a baby in 2010 and was unsuccessful when trying to adopt three years later. This person indicated that the first child was adopted privately. In that effort the hopeful adoption parent(s) only advertised in print, spending $2,500 a month on print ads.
“The internet wasn’t a factor when we were adopting. When we tried again a second time 3 years later, it was a big factor, and made the process much more difficult. We were not successful the second time around.”
Based on the feedback I received, domestic adoption has been significantly changed by the Internet and social media. As new platforms for electronic communication emerge, the process will continue to evolve. The keys to success in using technology for outreach are knowing who which platform is most apt to reach the audience you seek. Through social media and the Web, hopeful adoptive parents are being more creative and directly involved in reaching out to others in hopes of matching with the right situation.
Adoption agencies are still a vital asset for some families, but more people are opting to be more actively involved in the process. Although print ads do result in matches, they are costly, may not start running right away and newspapers are experiencing steady declines in readership. A combination of factors makes using the Internet and social media an affordable and viable option when trying to adopt and they are a growing source of adoption situation contacts and matches. The data gathered in my survey supports my thesis statement, “Social media and online presence are a growing source of domestic adoption matches in the United States.”
Searching for Juno 