The performativity of surveys: Teenagers’ meaning‐making of the 'Health Behavior in School‐aged Children Survey' in Sweden

The Health Behaviour in School‐Aged Children survey contains scales intended to measure life satisfaction, mental health problems and socioeconomic status. This article takes inspiration from science and technology studies and analyse the survey as performative. It also examines subjective meaning‐m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChildren & society Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 428 - 444
Main Authors Wickström, Anette, Zeiler, Kristin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
Subjects
Adolescents
Children
constructions of childhood
Health behavior
Health problems
Health status
health surveys
Life satisfaction
Meaning
meaning-making
Mental disorders
Mental health
Performativity
Polls & surveys
Science and technology
Shame
Socioeconomic status
Sociology of science
Student behavior
Teenagers
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Summary:The Health Behaviour in School‐Aged Children survey contains scales intended to measure life satisfaction, mental health problems and socioeconomic status. This article takes inspiration from science and technology studies and analyse the survey as performative. It also examines subjective meaning‐making through an analysis of interviews with 15‐year‐old teenagers. It shows how the survey enacts the subject position of an accountable teenager and how teenagers experience the survey as sending a message about how one should live. While some teenagers experience this as positive, others narrate feelings of shame. This could be interpreted as a way for them to be accountable for themselves.
Bibliography:Funding information
This research was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Reg. No. 2016‐00129) and the Swedish Research Council (Reg. No. 2016‐00784).
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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content type line 14
ISSN:0951-0605
1099-0860
1099-0860
DOI:10.1111/chso.12425