Sampling migrants in six European countries: how to develop a comparative design?

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Demography
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Designing cross-national research requires comparable sampling strategies.
• Sampling migrant populations presents unique methodological challenges in Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility and constraints of identical or comparable sampling strategies for migrants across diverse European countries.
• To identify effective sampling methods for migrant populations within a multi-country European context.

Main Methods:

• Expert reviews were conducted in six European Union member states (Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy).
• Analysis focused on probability samples and the utilization of population registers.
• Investigated the applicability of various sampling strategies to migrant populations in the selected countries.

Main Results:

• Achieving an identical register-based sampling design across even six European countries is difficult.
• Significant variations exist in national population registers and sampling possibilities.
• Urban-focused sampling of immigrants shows promise for achieving comparable samples.

Conclusions:

• Harmonizing sampling strategies for migrant research across Europe faces substantial hurdles.
• A pragmatic approach involves focusing on sampling immigrants within major cities to enhance comparability.
• Future cross-national research on migrants may benefit from urban sampling designs.