Methodological considerations and assumptions in social science survey research

Abstract: The articles in this special issue are based largely on results from online social surveys on beliefs and self-reported behaviours related to COVID-19, with an emphasis on ethnicity differences. There are many considerations and assumptions used when conducting this type of research, and when analysing the resulting data, which are often not discussed in the resulting journal articles. These include how the research questions are chosen, how the measurement of the key constructs is done and the analytic approach. The article goes through several of the steps necessary to conduct social science survey research that are often not reported in papers. The aim is to provide a backstage view of how this approach to social scientific questions occurs, pulling back the curtain on these issues.

Keywords: methodology, assumptions, surveys, COVID-19, statistics

Article posted to the Journal of the British Academy, volume 11, supplementary issue 5 (Social Representation and Identity Processes in Relation to COVID-19 Reactions)