New data archive supports consistency in social science research into COVID-19
A new topical data archive at ICPSR is enabling researchers to design more effective studies of the social, behavioral, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID measures archive allows data users to search and compare questions and variables used in COVID-related studies, in order to incorporate them into their own research studies. Studies in the archive have been used to examine stress, substance use, internet access, partisanship, financial hardship, mitigation policies, and many other topics.
ICPSR’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic COVID Coordinating Center (SBE CCC), part of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), is developing the COVID measures archive. Led by principal investigator Margaret Levenstein and project director John Kubale, SBE CCC is a center for communication and collaboration between NIH-funded researchers, the social science research community, and the public. Studies in the COVID measures archive come from the 15 members of the SBE COVID Consortium, a group of scholars studying the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Consistency across studies is key to drawing meaningful conclusions about how COVID has affected our health and wellbeing, our livelihoods, and our economy," Kubale said. "For studies to be comparable, they need to measure concepts in consistent ways. This requires tools like the COVID measures archive that offer visibility into how other studies are measuring those concepts. Moreover, the archive allows researchers who can’t share their data to be as open as possible by sharing information about their data sources and the measures they used."
Launched in September, the COVID measures archive will grow with new content from SBE COVID Consortium members and other studies. Visit SBE CCC’s websiteto explore.
Oct 11, 2023