Civic Engagement and Social Cohesion Measuring Dimensions of Social Capital to Inform Policy (2014) / Chapter Skim
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5 Alternative Measurement Approaches: Strategies for a Rapidly Changing Data World
5 Alternative Measurement Approaches: Strategies for a Rapidly Changing Data World
Pages 107-124
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From page 107... ...
is not well established. For this reason, the primary means at this time for compiling information about civic engagement, social cohesion, and other dimensions of social capital remains household surveys.
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From page 108... ...
digital information and commu nication technologies, coupled with advances in computational science analytic techniques, raises the possibility of developing less obtrusive indicators of citizens civic engagement and social cohesion behaviors, and perhaps even their opinions. And, as noted by Einav and Levin (2013, p.
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From page 109... ...
Therefore, in considering the measurement of social capital, it is important to consider to the full range of options, both within and beyond the federal statistical system. The rest of this chapter discusses data linking and nonsurvey data collection methods and recommendations for how to exploit them.
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From page 110... ...
One example of the use of hierarchical models is that which allows CPS data to be augmented with census administrative records to indirectly estimate numbers of school-age children living under the poverty threshold at the school district level; allocation of more than 15 billion dollars of federal funds is based on such model-based indirect estimators.3 Similarly, using ACS data, Malec (2005) applied multivariate modeling methods incorporating data from outside the small area of interest and 3 Gershunskaya (quoted in National Research Council, 2013a)
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From page 111... ...
cannot provide all the variables and the level of geographic detail nec essary for research on social capital, social cohesion, and civic engagement. It is therefore essential that design strategies for the CPS be conceptualized with the presumption that this data source will need to be linked (even if only at the group level)
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From page 112... ...
are the most widely used individual identifiers, and declining SSN item response is a growing challenge for linking data sources.6 5.2. SURVEY AND NONSURVEY DATA COLLECTION Public reticence, declining response rates, costs of traditional survey methods, and the emergence of massive data generation by new information and communication technologies are shifting the landscape of public 5 For example, the 2002 Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act allowed greater data sharing among statistical agencies, but strong restrictions continue to apply to statistical uses of tax information.
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But the improving ability to link data and the increasing spread of social media and other technologies that produce unstructured digital data are leading to significant changes in the way research is conducted.
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From page 114... ...
used detailed, multimode datasets, for which surveys were only one component, to capture the complexities of social capital, much of which takes place most intensively as communitylevel social processes. These studies were designed to generate insights about the links among neighborhood characteristics, social organizations, c ommunity-level henomena, social functioning, and quality of life.
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From page 115... ...
Social media and Web search technologies seem particularly promising in generating data capable of underpinning social science research on people's networking and communications behaviors. How to exploit data generated from social media and other digital sources to intuit people's opinions, attitudes, and actions is an emerging topic in this still nascent area of research -- much of which is being done in computer science departments.
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From page 116... ...
explored more generally how "big data" will transform business, government, and other aspects of the economy. 9 This article also provided an overview of studies on the effects of Internet use, social media use, and various dimensions of social capital; the author's basic conceptualization of social capital is formulated from Coleman (1988)
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From page 117... ...
Even for the subset of data collections for which the federal statistical agencies are charged with overseeing, traditional survey methods will not always be the most cost-effective option; and the CPS and other population surveys will not always be the right vehicles for measuring public opinion, sentiment, or behavior. These changes will involve new relationships between the federal statistical system and the private sector, and the terms and conditions of these relationships are still unknown and will evolve over time.
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From page 118... ...
The survey edifice rests on representativeness, coverage, privacy, and other fundamental attributes that are still needed to guide social science data collection and analysis methods. The federal statistical agencies can play an instrumental role in figuring out how to embrace and implement new data and new data strategies without abandoning scientific principles.
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From page 119... ...
Federal statistical agencies' practices are still based on the belief of individual autonomy -- that sociodemographic information is the property of the individual.17 Because the information is owned by the individual, the government enters into a contract with the respondent promising to safeguard it (that is, to keep it confidential)
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From page 120... ...
One can expect these trends to continue, thereby complicating the ability to develop privacy and confidentiality standards -- both within the private sector and between private and public entities -- that would allow integration of traditional and emerging big data based statistical sources. A recent report by the White House Office of Science and Tech 19 See National Research Council (2007)
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From page 121... ...
Nonetheless, the magnitude of upcoming changes warrants that the federal statistical system be involved more closely in these new data developments. And, as indicated above, OSTP has recognized the opportunities created by emerging data sources and technologies; noting that the federal government is underinvesting in these opportunities, a "big data" research and development initiative has 21 Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values, Executive Office of the President, The White House, May 1, 2014.
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1) : "advance stateof-the-art core technologies needed to collect, store, preserve, manage, analyze, and share huge quantities of data; harness these technologies to accelerate the pace of discovery in science and engineering, strengthen our national security, and transform teaching and learning; and expand the workforce needed to develop and use Big Data technologies." A number of cities are also investing in "urban informatics." New York City, for example, recently created an Office of Policy and Strategic Planning to house the city's data-centered innovations, "conducting wide-ranging data mining and analysis to improve City services, enhance transparency and more effectively solve complex municipal issues."23 Similarly, an initiative from the National Science Foundation is focused on new research efforts to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data which, among other things, calls for "Encouraging research universities to develop interdisciplinary graduate programs to prepare the next generation of data scientists and engineers."24 While big data studies are often housed in university information technology departments, the statistical agencies, as the producers of official statistics, have a complementary role to play alongside the computer scientists -- for example, managing data quality and focusing on such problems as population representativeness.25 Developing methods for exploiting and integrating nontraditional data for use in official and other statistics is part of the role, and one for which mechanisms will be needed to allow statistical agencies to provide guidance.
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From page 123... ...
research designed to understand the quality of statistics derived from alternative data -- including those from social media, other Web-based and digital sources, and administrative records; (2) monitoring of data from a range of private and public sources that have potential to complement or supplement existing measures and surveys; and (3)
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From page 124... ...
The federal statistical system has recognized the importance of alternative approaches to research with the partnership to create research nodes between the Census Bureau and NSF. The measurement areas described in this report -- covering dimensions of civic engagement, social cohesion, and social capital -- represent only a portion of those that factor into social science, urban planning, public health and other research areas.
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