ESRA 2027 sessions by theme
Back to Overview of Sessions
From Recruitment to Inference: Inclusive Data Collection and Analysis for Marginalised and Hard-to-Reach Populations |
| Coordinator 1 | Professor Dina Maskileyson (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg) |
| Coordinator 2 | Dr Daniel Seddig (The Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony, Germany) |
| Coordinator 3 | Professor Eldad Davidov (Universtiy of Cologne, Germany) |
| Coordinator 4 | Professor Katharina Meitinger (University of Utrecht, Netherlands) |
Session Details
Standard survey designs systematically under-represent populations that lack a clear sampling frame, are reluctant to be identified, or are excluded by dominant survey modes. These include immigrants and undocumented populations, ethnic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, people with low literacy or limited digital access, older adults, people involved with the justice system, victims of crime, and those in precarious or crisis settings.
This session brings these cases together around a common methodological question: how can survey research include such populations not only in data collection, but also in measurement and analysis?
We invite contributions addressing any stage of the survey lifecycle for hard-to-reach, marginalised, or minority populations. Relevant topics include sampling and recruitment where adequate frames are lacking; mode choice, multilingual instruments, and accessible survey design; cross-cultural comparability and measurement validity; ethical issues in recruiting and identifying sensitive groups; and weighting, calibration, and inference when subgroups are small. We particularly welcome work that compares approaches across populations, since lessons learned in one field may transfer to another. We are equally interested in applied studies where substantive comparisons depend on reaching under-represented groups well, for example, studies comparing migrant and non-migrant populations in health-care settings.
Both methodological and applied contributions are welcome, including case studies from academic research and official statistics. By spanning the path from recruitment to analysis, the session aims to move discussion beyond recruitment alone and toward the measurement and analytical decisions that determine whether included respondents are represented accurately. We hope to connect researchers working with different populations but facing similar methodological challenges, and to identify transferable principles for more inclusive survey research.
