Data Linkage and Triangulation in Survey Research

Abstract

Alternative data sources, such as administrative data collected by public institutions, but also social media data, such as Twitter and Facebook, record individual and aggregated information (e.g., key characteristics for a particular geographical unit). These sources offer large numbers of data points for relatively little investment, but posing new methodological and ethical challenges. This includes issue of data linkage, e.g., studying contextual effects by adding country-level information, media content, or geographical and small area data allows to improve political research. We invite contributions using alternative data to capture and study political phenomena and that validate (survey) data sources. In addition, we encourage scholars working on ethical, practical, and analytical issues regarding data linkage: Why to link? How to link? What to consider?