Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Migraciones Internacionales e-ISSN: 2594-0279

Papers

Vol. 7 No. 26 (2014): January-June, 2014

Connected Immigrants? Four Methodological Challenges for the Analysis of ict Use through Survey Data*

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v7i26.670
Published
2017-04-03

Abstract

Both the sociology of migration and the academic literature on network society tend to highlight the penetration of new information and communication technologies (ict) in the migrant population. While there have been significant contributions to this area of knowledge from qualitative studies, very few quantitative studies examine the relationship between the migrant population and new technologies. This article outlines four methodological challenges in the analysis of migrant populations’ adaptation to the network society through survey data: absence of relevant variables, possible measurement errors in the dependent variable, data collection problems and endogeneity.¿Inmigrantes conectados? Cuatro desafíos metodológicos en el análisis del uso de las tic a través de datos de encuestasResumenTanto la sociología de la migración como la literatura académica especializada en el estudio de la sociedad red tienden a destacar la penetración de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (tic) en la población inmigrante. Mientras que existen aportaciones relevantes en esta área de conocimiento que provienen de investigaciones de naturaleza cualitativa, escasean las aproximaciones cuantitativas al estudio de la relación entre la población inmigrada y las nuevas tecnologías. Este artículo detalla cuatro de los principales desafíos metodológicos para el análisis de esta temática mediante datos de encuestas: la ausencia de variables relevantes, los errores de medida en la variable dependiente, las dificultades en la fase de la recogida de datos y la endogeneidad.

Cover image

Keywords

  • network society
  • surveys
  • information and communication technologies
  • migrant population
  • methodology

How to Cite

Vancea, M., & Boso, A. (2017). Connected Immigrants? Four Methodological Challenges for the Analysis of ict Use through Survey Data*. Migraciones Internacionales, 7(26), 43–72. https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v7i26.670
Copyright Notice

References

  1. ARD/ZDF-MEDIENKOMMISSION, 2007, “Migranten und
  2. Medien 2007”, in Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, pp. 1-112. Available
  3. at <http://www.migration-boell.de/downloads/diversity/ZDF_
  4. ARD_Migranten_und_Medien_2007_Handout_neu.pdf>
  5. (last accessed on February 15, 2013.
  6. BASCH, Linda; Nina GLICK-SCHILLER, and Cristina SZAN-
  7. TON BLANC, 2003, Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects,
  8. Postcolonial Predicaments and Deterritorialized Nation-States,
  9. London, Routledge.
  10. BECK, Ulrik, 1999, ¿Qué es la globalización?, Barcelona, Paidós.
  11. BECK, Ulrik, 2004, Poder y contrapoder en la era global, Barce-
  12. lona, Paidós.
  13. BOSO, Àlex and Adela ROS [lecture], 2010, “Immigrants’ Ac-
  14. commodation to the Network Society: High Access for Staying
  15. in the Same Place?”, Gothenburg, XVII isa World Congress of
  16. Sociology, July 11-17.
  17. CASTELLS, Manuel, 2000, The Rise of the Network Society, Ox-
  18. ford, Blackwell.
  19. CASTELLS, Manuel, 2001, The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on
  20. the Internet, Business and Society, Oxford, Oxford University
  21. Press.
  22. CASTELLS, Manuel, 2009, Comunicació i poder, Barcelona, Edi-
  23. torial uoc.
  24. CASTELLS, Manuel and Gustavo CARDOSO, 2005, eds., The
  25. Network Society. From Knowledge to Policy, Washington, DC,
  26. Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations.
  27. CASTELLS, Manuel et al., 2003, La societat xarxa a Catalunya,
  28. Barcelona, Random House-Mondadori/Rosa dels Vents/Edito-
  29. rial uoc.
  30. CASTELLS, Manuel et al., 2007, Mobile Communication and So-
  31. ciety. A Global Perspective, Cambridge, United States, The mit
  32. Press.
  33. CASTLES, Stephen and Mark J. MILLER, 2009, The Age of Mi-
  34. gration, London, Palgrave.
  35. CENTRE D’ESTUDIS D’OPINIÓ (CEO), 2006, “Enquesta
  36. sobre l’ús de les noves tecnologies 2006”, in Els estudis d’opinió
  37. de la Generalitat de Catalunya al vostre abast, Generalitat de
  38. Catalunya, October 27 (Registre d’Estudis d’Opinió, no. 364).
  39. Available at <http://www.ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/AppJava/pages/
  40. estudis/registrats/> (last accessed on February 15, 2013).
  41. CENTRE D’ESTUDIS D’OPINIÓ, 2008, “Estudi quantitatiu
  42. sobre el context en què es mouen els serveis d’informació i aten-
  43. ció de la Generalitat de Catalunya i el grau de coneixement de
  44. les noves tecnologies per part de la ciutadania 2008”, in Els
  45. estudis d’opinió de la Generalitat de Catalunya al vostre abast,
  46. Generalitat de Catalunya, July 31 (Registre d’Estudis d’Opi-
  47. nió, no. 451). Available at <http://www.ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/
  48. AppJava/pages/estudis/registrats/> (last accessed on February
  49. , 2013).
  50. CENTRE D’ESTUDIS D’OPINIÓ, 2009, “Estudi quantitatiufs
  51. per conèixer l’evolució del coneixement i ús de les noves tecno-
  52. logies i dels serveis d’atenció als ciutadans. Onada 2008”, in Els
  53. estudis d’opinió de la Generalitat de Catalunya al vostre abast,
  54. Generalitat de Catalunya/Registre d’Estudis d’Opinió, June
  55. (Registre d’Estudis d’Opinió, no. 510). Available at
  56. www.ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/AppJava/pages/estudis/registrats/>
  57. (last accessed on February 15, 2013).
  58. CENTRE D’ESTUDIS D’OPINIÓ, 2010, “Estudi quantitatiu
  59. per conèixer l’evolució del coneixement i ús de les noves tecno-
  60. vancea-boso/Connected Immigrants? Four Methodological Challenges 67
  61. logies i dels serveis d’atenció als ciutadans. Onada 2009”, in Els
  62. estudis d’opinió de la Generalitat de Catalunya al vostre abast,
  63. Generalitat de Catalunya, June 2 (Registre d’Estudis d’Opi-
  64. nió, no. 583). Available at <http://www.ceo.gencat.cat/ceop/
  65. AppJava/pages/estudis/registrats/> (last accessed on February
  66. , 2013).
  67. CHISWICK, Barry and Paul MILLER, 2007, “Computer Usage,
  68. Destination Language Proficiency and the Earnings of Natives
  69. and Immigrants”, Review of Economics of the Household, vol. 5,
  70. no. 2, pp. 129-157.
  71. CODAGNONE, Cristiano and Stefano KLUZER, 2011, “ict for
  72. the Social and Economic Integration of Migrants into Europe,
  73. eur 24719 en - 2011”, jrc Scientific and Technical Reports, Lux-
  74. embourg. Available at <http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC63183.
  75. pdf> (last accessed on June 18, 2012).
  76. DIMINESCU, Dana, 2002, “L’usage du téléphone portable par
  77. les migrants en situation précaire”, Hommes et Migrations, no.
  78. , pp. 66-81.
  79. DIMINESCU, Dana, 2004, “Le migrant connecté”, Migrations/
  80. Société, vol. 17, no. 102, pp. 275-292.
  81. DIMINESCU, Dana, 2008, “The Connected Migrant: An Epis-
  82. temological Manifesto”, Social Science Information, vol. 47, no.
  83. , pp. 565-579.
  84. DIMINESCU, Dana et al., 2009, “ict for Integration, Social In-
  85. clusion and Economic Participation of Immigrants and Eth-
  86. nic Minorities: Case Studies from France”, jrc Technical Notes,
  87. Sevilla, European Commission. Available at <http://ftp.jrc.es/
  88. EURdoc/JRC51834_TN.pdf> (last accessed on June 18, 2012).
  89. European Commission, 2012, “Community Survey on
  90. ict Usage in Households and by Individual”, Eurostat. Avail-
  91. able at <http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/
  92. index.php/Glossary:Community_survey_on_ICT_usage_in_
  93. households_and_by_individuals> (last accessed on February
  94. , 2013).
  95. FUNDACIÓ AUDIÈNCIES DE LA COMUNICACIÓ I LA
  96. CULTURA (FUNDACC) [digital publication], 2009, “Resum
  97. a onada 2009. Baròmetre de la Comunicació i la Cultura. Ca-
  98. talunya”, El Baròmetre de la Comunicació i la Cultura, Barcelo-
  99. na, Fundacc (reo, no. 484). Available at <http://www.fundacc.
  100. org/docroot/fundacc/pdf/resum_any_natural_08_barometre_
  101. cat.pdf> (last accessed on February 15, 2013).
  102. GARRIDO, María et al., 2010, “Immigrant Women, E-skills
  103. & Employability in Europe: The Case of Hungary, Italy, the
  104. Netherlands, Romania, and Spain”, Seattle, Technology & So-
  105. cial Change Group-University of Washington.
  106. GROVES, Robert, 2004, Survey Errors and Survey Costs, New
  107. Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
  108. HAMILTON, Barton H. and Jackson A. NICKERSON, 2003,
  109. “Correcting for Endogeneity in Strategic Management Re-
  110. search”, Strategic Organization, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 51-78.
  111. HORST, Heather and Daniel MILLER, 2006, The Cell Phone:
  112. An Anthropology of Communication, Oxford/New York, Berg.
  113. HECKMAN, James, 1974, “Shadow Prices, Market Wages, and
  114. Labor Supply”, Econometrica, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 679-694.
  115. HEPP, Andreas; Stefan WELLING, and Bora AKSEN, 2009,
  116. “ict for Integration, Social Inclusion and Economic Participa-
  117. tion of Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities: Case Studies from
  118. Germany”, jrc Technical Notes, Seville, European Commission.
  119. Available at <http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC53397_TN.pdf> (last
  120. accessed on June 18, 2012).
  121. HUDDLESTON, Thomas; Jasper DAG TJADEN, and Lou-
  122. ise CALLIER, 2012, Immigrant Citizens Survey. How Immi-
  123. grants Experience Integration in 15 European Cities, Brussels,
  124. King Baudouin Foundation/Migration Policy Group, pp. 1-92.
  125. INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA (INE), 2007,
  126. “National Immigrant Survey 2007 (nis-2007)”, ine/Minis-
  127. terio de Trabajo e Inmigración/Universidad Complutense de
  128. Madrid. Available at <http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do;jsessio
  129. nid=4BE0D4091BB0A2D8E6152333F52BE6FC.jaxi03?type=
  130. pcaxis&path=%2Ft20%2Fp319&file=inebase&L=1> (last ac-
  131. cessed on February 15, 2013).
  132. INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA, 2009, “Survey
  133. on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication
  134. Technologies in Households (ict-h)”, ine. Available at
  135. www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?L=en_GB&c=INEPublicacion_C&cid
  136. =1259925186941&p=1254735110606&pagename=ProductosY
  137. Servicios%2FPYSLayout&tittema=Society> (last accessed on
  138. February 15, 2013).
  139. INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA, 2012, “Survey
  140. on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication
  141. Technologies in Households (ict-h)”, ine. Available at
  142. www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?L=en_GB&c=INEPublicacion_C&ci
  143. d=1259925186941&p=1254735110606&pagename=Productos
  144. YServicios%2FPYSLayout&tittema=Society> (last accesed on
  145. December 10, 2013).
  146. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION
  147. (IOM), 2010, World Migration Report 2010. The Future of Mi-
  148. gration: Building Capacities for Change, Geneva, iom. Available
  149. at <http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/WMR_2010_
  150. ENGLISH.pdf> (last accessed on 23, 2012).
  151. KING, Gary; Robert O. KEOHANE, and Sidney VERBA, 2000,
  152. El diseño de la investigación social. La inferencia científica en los
  153. estudios cualitativos, Madrid, Alianza.
  154. KLUZER, Stefano; Alexandra HACHÉ, and Cristiano CO-
  155. DAGNONE, 2008, “Overview of Digital Support Initiatives
  156. for/by Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities in the eu27, eur
  157. en”, jrc Scientific and Technical Reports, Seville, jrc
  158. Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. Available at
  159. 1. Migraciones Internacionales, Vol. 7, Núm. 3, enero-junio de 2014
  160. <http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC48588.pdf> (last accessed on
  161. May 21, 2012).
  162. LANDOLT, Patricia, 2008, “The Transnational Geographies
  163. of Immigrant Politics: Insights from a Comparative Study of
  164. Migrant Grassroots Organizing”, The Sociological Quarterly,
  165. vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 53-77.
  166. LARSEN, Jonas; John URRY, and Kay AXHAUSEN, 2006,
  167. Mobilities, Networks, Geographies, Hampshire, Ashgate.
  168. LEE, Lung-Fei, 1978, “Unionism and Wage Rates: A Simultane-
  169. ous Equation Model with Qualitative and Limited (Censored)
  170. Dependent Variables”, International Economic Review, vol. 19,
  171. no. 2, pp. 415-433.
  172. LEVITT, Peggy and Nina GLICK-SCHILLER, 2004, “Concep-
  173. tualizing Simultaneity: A Transnational Social Field Perspec-
  174. tive on Society”, International Migration Review, vol. 38, no. 3,
  175. pp. 1002-1039.
  176. LLOPIS-GOIG, Ramón, 2007, “El ‘nacionalismo metodológico’
  177. como obstáculo en la investigación sociológica sobre migracio-
  178. nes internacionales”, Empiria. Revista de Metodología de Cien-
  179. cias Sociales, no. 13, January-June, pp. 101-117.
  180. MARTON, Adam, 1988, Sampling and Non-sampling Errors in
  181. Surveys, Vitoria, Basque Country, Euskal Estatistika Erakun-
  182. dea-Basque Government.
  183. MAYA JARIEGO, Isidro, 2001, “Sesgos de medida y problemas
  184. de muestreo en las encuestas de poblaciones inmigrantes”, Me-
  185. todología de Encuestas, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 197-213.
  186. MAYA JARIEGO, Isidro et al., 2009, “ict for Integration, So-
  187. cial Inclusion and Economic Participation of Immigrants and
  188. Ethnic Minorities: Case Studies from Spain”, jrc Technical
  189. Notes, Sevilla, European Commission. Available at
  190. jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC51774_TN.pdf> (last accessed on Febru-
  191. ary 25, 2012).
  192. NEDELCU, Mihaela, 2009, Le migrant online. Nouveaux modèles
  193. migratoires à l’ère du numérique, Paris, L’Harmattan.
  194. OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION (OFCOM) [research docu-
  195. ment], 2007, “Communications Market Special Report. Eth
  196. vancea-boso/Connected Immigrants? Four Methodological Challenges 71
  197. nic Minority Groups and Communications Services”, June
  198. Available at <http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/
  199. research/cmr/ethnic_grps.pdf>, last accessed on October 16,
  201. OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION, 2008, “Media Literacy
  202. Audit: Report on uk Adults from Ethnic Minority Groups”.
  203. Available at <http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/
  204. research/media-literacy/ml_emg.pdf> (last accessed on October
  205. , 2013).
  206. ØSTERGAARD-NIELSEN, Eva, 2003, “The Politics of Mi-
  207. grants’ Transnational Political Practices”, International Migra-
  208. tion Review, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 760-786.
  209. PELETEIRO, Isabel and José Andrés GABARDO, 2006, “Los
  210. hogares ‘exclusivamente móviles’ en la investigación telefónica
  211. de audiencia”, Metodología de Encuestas, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 17-40.
  212. PORTES, Alejandro, 2003, “Conclusion: Theoretical Conver-
  213. gencies and Empirical Evidence in the Study of Immigrant
  214. Transnationalism”, International Migration Review, vol. 37, no.
  215. , September, pp. 874-892.
  216. PORTES, Alejandro; Cristina ESCOBAR, and Alexandria
  217. WALTON RADFORD, 2007, “Immigrant Transnational Or-
  218. ganizations and Development: A Comparative Study”, Inter-
  219. national Migration Review, vol. 41, no. 1, March, pp. 242-281.
  220. ROS, Adela, 2010, “Interconnected Immigrant in the Information
  221. Society”, in Andoni Alonso and Pedro J. Oiarzabal, eds., Dia-
  222. sporas in the New Media Age: Identity, Politics and Community,
  223. Reno, United States, University of Nevada Press, pp. 19-38.
  224. SEN, Amartya, 1999, Development as Freedom, New York, Knopf
  225. Press.
  226. SHELLER, Mimi and John URRY, 2006, “The New Mobilities
  227. Paradigm”, Environment and Planning A, vol. 38, no. 2, pp.
  228. -226.
  229. SMITH, Anthony D., 1979, Nationalism in the Twentieth Cen-
  230. tury, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
  231. TREWIN, Dennis and Geoff LEE, 1988, “International Com-
  232. parisons of Telephone Coverage”, in Robert M. Groves et al.,
  233. eds., Telephone Survey Methodology, New York, John Wiley &
  234. Sons, pp. 9-24.
  235. URRY, John, 2000, Sociology beyond Societies. Mobilities for the
  236. Twenty-First Century, London, Routledge.
  237. VAN DIJK, Jean, 2005, The Deepening Divide. Inequality in the
  238. Information Society, Thousand Oaks, United States, Sage Pub-
  239. lications.
  240. VANCEA, Mihaela [doctoral dissertation], 2009, “The Political
  241. Transnationalism of Immigrant Associations in Barcelona”,
  242. Barcelona, Departamento de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales-Uni-
  243. versitat Pompeu Fabra.
  244. VANCEA, Mihaela and Nihil OLIVERA, 2012, “E-migrant
  245. Women in Catalonia: Mobile Phone Use and Maintenance of
  246. Family”, Gender, Development and Technology, vol. 17, no. 2,
  247. July, pp. 179-203.
  248. VERTOVEC, Steven, 2004, “Cheap Calls: The Social Glue of
  249. Migrant Transnationalism”, Global Networks, vol. 4, no. 2, pp.
  250. -224.
  251. WALLERSTEIN, Immanuel, 1974, The Modern World System,
  252. New York, Academic Press.
  253. WIMMER, Andreas and Nina GLICK-SCHILLER, 2003,
  254. “Methodological Nationalism, the Social Sciences, and the
  255. Study of Migration: An Essay in Historical Epistemology”,
  256. International Migration Review, vol. 37, no. 3, September, pp.
  257. -610.
  258. ZHAN, Yujie et al., 2009, “Bridge Employment and Retirees’
  259. Health: A Longitudinal Investigation”, Journal of Occupational
  260. Health Psychology, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 374-389.