Measuring transnational social fields through binational link-tracing sampling

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 6; p. e0253042
• Main Authors: Hâncean, Marian-Gabriel, Lubbers, Miranda Jessica, Molina, José Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 14.06.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Computer and Information Sciences; Data collection; Growth; Immigrants; Literature reviews; Methods; Migrants; Migration; People and Places; Remittances; Sampling; Sampling methods; Social networks; Social research; Social Sciences; Statistical sampling; Transnationalism; Romania; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253042

We advance bi-national link-tracing sampling design, an innovative data collection methodology for sampling from so-called "transnational social fields", i.e. transnational networks embedding migrants, returned migrants and non-migrants. This paper describes our contributions to this methodology and its empirical implementation, and evaluates the features of the resulting networks (sample), with the aim to guide future research. We performed 303 face-to-face structured interviews on sociodemographic variables, migration trajectories and personal networks of people living in a Romanian migration sending community (Dâmbovita) and in a migration receiving Spanish town (Castellón). Inter-connecting the personal networks, we built a multi-layered complex network structure embedding 4,855 nominated people, 5,477 directed ties (nominations) and 2,540 edges. Results indicate that the link-tracing nomination patterns are affected by sex and residence homophily. Our research contributes to the emerging efforts of applying social network analysis to the study of international migration.