Rooted in Strategy: Considerations for Demographic Data Collection

This article was written by Esther Nolton, PhD and Denise Bellows Kumar, PhD from Everstead Strategies
in collaboration with our friend and colleague Tom Workman, PhD from the American Institutes of Research.

Every organization that collects demographic data must make decisions about what gets collected, why, when, where, how, from whom, and for whom. No matter your mission, sector, or domain, your institution likely already collects, records, and/or uses demographic data in some way. And yet, the ways in which demographic data are collected are expansive and increasing. Most often, organizations want an item bank of demographic questions for immediate use, but this approach can be problematic. “What response options should we include for this demographic question?” is ultimately the wrong place to start.

Our systems of practice for demographic data collection must first be ROOTED in strategy.

Decades of research and practical experience with demographic data collection have led us to develop strategic principles that inform key decisions about what demographic data should be collected and how. Here, we provide our framework of principles for thinking strategically about how to GROW your demographic data collection practice. Ensure your practice is—

• Grounded in purpose

• Responsible with data ethics

• Optimized to reduce burden

• Worthy of respondent trust

Read the full article here or click on the image below.