ESRA 2027 sessions by theme

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Session Details

Measuring a Changing Society: Rethinking Standardised Surveys in Times of Social Change
In social sciences, there a standardized ways to measure e.g. demographics, social class, ethnicity etc. Also, repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys rely on standardised instruments to ensure comparability over time. Yet the social realities they aim to measure are not stable. Changes in e.g. gender relations, family forms, migration patterns, household structures, educational participation, employment biographies etc. may render established categories and reference groups increasingly inadequate. This creates a methodological dilemma: How can surveys preserve comparability across time without sacrificing measurement validity?
This session invites empirical and methodological contributions that critically examine established survey measures in light of changing social conditions. We particularly welcome research that asks whether and when survey instruments should be revised, expanded or replaced – and what is gained or lost by doing so. Examples might include the measurement of the topics above or others.
We encourage contributions that go beyond conceptual critiques and provide empirical evidence for alternative approaches. Suitable studies may use e.g. survey experiments, cognitive interviews, longitudinal comparisons, measurement invariance analyses, nonresponse patterns, or comparisons of alternative operationalisations. Of particular interest are studies demonstrating that revised categories or questions improve construct validity, reduce measurement error, better capture population heterogeneity, or reveal social groups and relationships that remain invisible in conventional measures.
The session aims to address the need to remain responsive to societal change and to develop questionnaires further. By bringing together substantive examples and methodological evidence, the session seeks to develop empirically grounded principles for when, how and why established survey measures should be adapted.