Big Data for the Social Sciences

• Activity Number: 215
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Monday, August 10, 2015 : 12:30 PM to 1:50 PM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Frauke Kreuter*
• Companies: Joint Program in Survey Methodology
• Keywords: Big Data ; informed consent ; ethics

Abstract

This roundtable will discuss the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Big Data Task Force report (release Feb. 2015). There is great potential in Big Data, but there are some major challenges that have to be resolved before its full potential can be realized. The AAPOR task force report gives examples of different types of Big Data and their possible use for social science research. Big Data has a number of advantages when compared to survey data. An obvious advantage is that these data already exist in some form, and therefore research based on Big Data does not require a new primary data-collection effort. Primary data collection is usually expensive and slow. The task force concludes that surveys and Big Data are complementary data sources. It also describes the Big Data process and discusses its main challenges. Because there is no clear legal and ethical framework for the collection and subsequent use of Big Data, it is important for AAPOR to work with other organizations such as the American Statistical Association to resolve potential ethical and legal issues and unlock the great potential of Big Data for the public good.