Furry Study 2011; Study Now Closed

Furries are a greatly misunderstood subculture.  To better help understand the “Furry Fandom” – the mindsets of the participants, and how we compare to and differ from other fandoms (i.e. sci-fi and fantasy based fandoms),  the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, New York, are conducting an international online survey of the Furry Fandom.

Conducting the study is Courtney “Nuka” Plante, a furry social psychology graduate student at the University of Waterloo and Dr. Kathy Gerbasi, a social psychologist at the Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, New York.

Dr. Gerbasi and Courtney (Nuka)  have been studying furries through the use of rigorous scientific methodology in the hopes of understanding furries and their fandom. There is a lot of bad media and misinformation about furries, and they hope that by scientifically studying the furry fandom they can do away with misconceptions regarding the furry fandom.

Dr. Gerbasi has conducted a survey at Anthrocon for the last 5 years now, and while the results have certainly been informative, it is felt that a great many furries are left out of the research. As such, this will be a large-scale online international furry survey d in the hopes of getting as many furries to complete the survey as possible.

There will be draws for prizes as an incentive for people to participate, and they are hoping that furries will be interested to participate in actual scientifically valid research that’s being conducted by furries and fur-friendly researchers.

This is the study website’s url:
https://artsweb.uwaterloo.ca/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cplante/Furry2011

Dr. Samuel “Uncle Kage” Conway was contacted as a reference.  He had very positive things to say about the survey and those conducting it.

Dr. Gerbasi has been the very essense of professionalism in her study. She sought my input on drafting the proposal and delivered a copy of the university’s IRB approval. Anthrocon has fully supported her research and has never had a complaint as to her methods. Mr. Plante has worked closely with her and has shown a similar level of professionalism and to the scientific integrity of the study.

FNN has further verified the validity of the survey through the University of Waterloo’s Research Ethics office, as well as reviewed the survey in it’s entirety.  All details check out and the survey its self does not have a negative or positive bias.

If you are interested in participating in the survey, we strongly encourage it.  A study of this nature may make a difference in how we are seen and treated as a subculture in the future.

Positive or negative, Furry News Network will follow the outcome of this and report back any findings once the research project is concluded and the results published.