Survey Research in Times of Big Data

Authors

  • Pablo Cabrera-Álvarez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5944/empiria.53.2022.32611

Keywords:

Survey methodology, big data, administrative data, social media data, data linkage, Metodología de encuestas, datos administrativos, datos de redes sociales, combinación de datos

Abstract

Nowadays, while surveys still dominate the research landscape in social sciences, alternative data sources such as social media posts or GPS data open a whole range of opportunities for researchers. In this scenario, some voices advocate for a progressive substitution of survey data. They anticipate that big data, which is cheaper and faster than surveys, will be enough to answer relevant research questions. However, this optimism contrasts with all the quality and accessibility issues associated with big data such as the lack of coverage or data ownership and restricted accessibility. The aim of this paper is to explore how, nowadays, the combination of big data and surveys results in significant improvements in data quality and survey costs.

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Published

2022-01-07

How to Cite

Cabrera-Álvarez, P. (2022). Survey Research in Times of Big Data. Empiria. Revista de metodología de ciencias sociales, (53), 31–51. https://doi.org/10.5944/empiria.53.2022.32611