In order to conduct research on gay men staying healthy, NYU Steinhardt is now paying young men to participate in an unusual survey, as of last month, yet some participants are finding the process too uncomfortable to bear.
“The surveys are set up in order to gather information for NYU’s databases on sex and relationship issues,” said Nina Paulson the associate director of P18. According the P18 webpage, the project is “designed to learn more about young guys who hook up with other guys. The goal is to follow a group of young men over three years to learn about their lives and what they do to stay healthy.” The project also aims to change the way services are designed and delivered to young men.
The surveys are not set up like other research projects often flooded by college students, such as sleep studies and dietary studies done by local hospitals. This study, Paulson explained aims to learn how to execute the information they have received, not just analyze the data. The information gained by the project will help create programs that are effective and appropriate for gay men.
“When we first started this, we weren’t paying people. Now that we are, we have an overwhelming amount of volunteers,” Paulson said. Just a simple sheet needs to be filled out and two weeks later participants receive a check. “The first time I went in for an interview, I thought it was a scam. [I thought] there is no way it can be this easy,” Chan said. However, Chan received his $150 check in the mail shortly after taking part in the survey. NYU also gave him business cards with a special number on it; if Chan gets more men to attend, he is compensated. But some think this idea of paying for intimate details is strange.
“Sometimes these guys are sharing things they normally wouldn’t, all for a little dough,” said Casey Miller, 20, a one-time participant in the surveys. “I think it’s weird. It made me feel dirty.” Miller was not the only one to voice concern with the survey, several other participants dropped out after the first interview. “The guys are welcome to drop out of the survey anytime they wish,” Paulson said. Contrary to Miller, other participants say there shouldn’t be any reason to feel uncomfortable once they are in the room. In the contract, everything is thoroughly explained out.
Men are asked questions such as “when did you know when you were gay” and “how long have you been sexually intimate with other men?” The answers are then recorded by a staff member at CHIBPS (Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, and Prevention Studies). Participants explain the process as simple and not embarrassing.
Chan was so pleased with the survey that some of his straight friends even wanted to pretend to be gay for the pay. “After I saw that I would have to keep up my act for an hour, I knew I couldn’t pretend to be gay,” said Michael Kepp, 19. Participants said that some men have even gotten up and left in the middle of a session because they could not keep a straight face. “The men who pretend to be gay can never make it through a whole survey,” said Paulson. “So, it hasn’t affected our research yet.”
Chan is one of the hundreds that are now actively participating in the surveys conducted by NYU’s CHIBPS. “We hope that it brings us some interesting research,” said Paulson. For most, however, the research doesn’t matter. Participants only care that there check shows up in the mail.
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