Volume 26 - Article 5 | Pages 131-150

Sampling and Surveying Hard-to-Reach Populations for Demographic Research: A Study of Female Labor Migrants in Moscow, Russia


Date received:	05 Apr 2011
Date published:	28 Feb 2012
Word count:	4189
Keywords:	Central Asia, migration, Russia, sampling, survey methodology
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2012.26.5

Abstract

Because household-based survey designs are notoriously ineffective in studying hard-to-reach groups such as irregular migrants, these groups, however numerically large they may be, are rarely represented in demographic analyses. In this paper, we report on the application of a workplace-based stratified probability sampling design, response rate, and item-specific refusals in a recent study of irregular female migrants from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan working in bazaars, eateries, and small retail outlets in Moscow, Russia. We argue that workplace-based survey, while not flawless, provides a uniquely feasible and cost-effective tool for studying irregular migrants and other marginalized groups.

Author's Affiliation

Victor Agadjanian - Arizona State University, United States of America [Email]
Natalya Zotova - Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation [Email]