To further ensure that each ATP survey reflects a balanced cross-section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. adult population (see our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling). This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole U.S. Recruiting ATP panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly all U.S. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. This includes those who took part as members of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses, as well as respondents from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel who indicated that they identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). These findings are based on a survey conducted Oct. This particular report focuses on the patterns, experiences and attitudes related to digital technology use in romantic relationships. Pew Research Center has long studied the changing nature of romantic relationships as well as the role of digital technology in people’s lives.
