Measuring Discrimination: Methodological Challenges and Insights |
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| Coordinator 1 | Mr Kien Tran (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research) |
| Coordinator 2 | Mrs Almuth Lietz (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research) |
| Coordinator 3 | Mrs Zaza Zindel (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research) |
Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and other characteristics remains a pervasive issue in many societies, contributing to deep-rooted social inequalities. The empirical study of discrimination, especially among racialized and marginalized groups, offers crucial insights into these inequalities but also presents significant methodological challenges. This session will focus on the empirical investigation of discrimination, with a special emphasis on racialized and marginalized populations. The goal is to bring together papers that explore new advancements in survey research related to discrimination reporting.
Survey research is a key catalyst for investigating discrimination empirically. The measurement of discrimination experiences has evolved over time, reflecting shifts in societal attitudes and methodological advancements. How vulnerable group membership is defined and operationalized can influence the prevalence of reported discrimination experiences. Whether individuals are categorized based on self-identification, external perception, or other criteria can significantly affect estimates of discrimination prevalence. Longitudinal trends in discrimination and the development of new techniques for capturing these experiences are critical for understanding how discrimination evolves over time. Experimental designs that simulate discriminatory contexts offer valuable insights into implicit and explicit biases. Furthermore, exploring the relationship between self-reported reasons for discrimination (e.g., race, gender, religion) and individuals' self-identification with vulnerable groups can reveal important discrepancies between perceived and actual experiences of discrimination. These dynamics provide a deeper understanding of how individuals interpret and frame their experiences within broader social contexts.
Relevant topics for this session include, but are not limited to:
• Methodological advances in measuring discrimination, including implicit measures, data-linkage procedures, or comparisons of survey instruments assessing discriminatory experiences.
• Experimental designs simulating discriminatory contexts.
• The influence of operationalization of key characteristics, such as vulnerable group membership and self-identification, on reported discrimination.
• Longitudinal studies of discrimination: trends over time, shifts in prevalence, changes in forms of discrimination.