e‐Research initiatives have been launched around the world, but have they captured the imagination of researchers across the disciplines? This paper reports on a web‐based survey designed to gauge awareness of and support for e‐Research initiatives. Early adoption and interest in e‐Research practices represent a wide range of methodological traditions, but those most interested in e‐Research tend to be among a cohort of more recent graduates of doctoral programmes. However, greater certainty and support is driven largely by proximity to e‐Research. This finding reinforces the value of efforts to engage more social scientists and other researchers in e‐Research, such as through demonstrations, training or other ways of providing hands‐on involvement. Doctoral and early career training might be the most fruitful arenas for engagement.