That's awesome you wanna do a study on furries! I also want to go into psychology so this is going to be very interesting for me ^^
I'd say this fandom is made up on art, as it is the base of the whole fandom from my point of view. Obviously furries don't exist in the real world unfortunately so we're forced to express them in art form and literature. Apart from that, many furries like to roleplay which can go from simple *hugs* to full on stories and lore written. Other than that anything anyone has to bring to the fandom is also incorporated into it in one way or another; the fans which make it up are from all backgrounds and have a vast array of interests, so anything that you'd enjoy sharing is usually accepted and celebrated amongst others.
That's what I've gotten from my time being part of the fandom (although I've been watching from the sidelines for years!) and I hope I was able to help with your survey. Any other questions feel free to PM me! Good luck on your research! ^^