Contextualization of Survey Data: What Do We Gain and Does It Matter?

Abstract

Survey research designs that integrate contextual data have become more prevalent in recent decades, presumably to enable a more refined focus on the person as the unit of analysis and a greater emphasis on interindividual differences due to social forces and contextual conditions. This article reviews varied approaches to contextualizing survey data and examines the value of linking two data sources to respondent information: interviewer ratings and neighborhood information (measured via census tracts). The utility of an integrative approach is illustrated with data from the Health and Retirement Study. The results reveal modest gains by using a contextualized approach but also demonstrate that neglecting contextual factors may lead to misdirected substantive conclusions, especially for older racial and ethnic minorities. To enhance the ecological validity of survey data, investigators should select theoretically-meaningful contextual data for specific research questions and consider cross-level interactions.

The perceived value of bilingualism among U.S. parents: The role of language experience and local multilingualism.

“…This was selected as it is easier to report and less identifiable than one’s census tract or street address. However, it is possible that zip code areas, which vary in size based on population density, may imprecisely characterize the immediate sociolinguistic context (Wilkinson et al, 2017). Moreover, our measure of local multilingualism was not able to account for the number of different non-English languages spoken, or the degree of residential integration within the local community (Rocha & Espino, 2009).…”