Social cohesion and attitudinal changes toward migration: A longitudinal perspective amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social interactions and coexistence around the globe in dimensions that go far beyond health issues. In the case of the Global South, the pandemic has developed along with growing South-South migratory movements, becoming another key factor that might reinforce social conflict in increasingly multicultural areas as migrants have historically served as “scapegoats” for unexpected crises as a way to control and manage diversity. Chile is one of the main destination countries for migrants from the Latin American and Caribbean region, and COVID-19 outbreaks in migrant housing have intensified discrimination. In such a context, there is a need for understanding how the pandemic has potentially changed the way non-migrants perceive and interact with migrant neighbors. Drawing on the national social cohesion panel survey study ELSOC (2016–2021, N = 2,927) the aim is to analyze the changes in non-migrants' attitudes toward migrants—related to dimensions of social cohesion—over the last years and their relation with individual status and territorial factors. We argue that social cohesion in increasingly multicultural societies is partially threatened in times of crisis. The results indicate that after the pandemic, convivial attitudes toward Latin American migrants decreased. Chileans started perceiving them more negatively, particularly those respondents with lower educational levels and who live in increasingly multicultural neighborhoods with higher rates of migrant residents

Code

This code was used to conduct the data analysis of my Master's Thesi

Data

Using the first wave of the ELSOC longitudinal survey, I conducted a series of analysis using SEM models

La importancia de la invarianza métrica para la investigación en sociología

The comparison of latent variables presents considerable challenges in terms of their equivalence. Using data from ICCS 2016, in which 24 countries participated, we assess the measurement adequacy of the concept of attitudes towards equal rights by contrasting a one-dimensional model (available in the original documentation) with a two-dimensional model. In addition, we evaluate the levels of comparability of the measurements using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Results show that the two-dimensional model achieves substantial improvements. Additionally, evaluation of the invariance of the two-dimensional model shows adequate levels of comparability (metric and scalar invariance). This means that the instrument specified in its two dimensions permits a similar understanding by the participants in the various countries included in the sample. As such, it would be possible to compare both the levels of each dimension and the relationship of these dimensions with other variables.Comparar variables latentes presenta importantes desafíos en cuanto a su equivalencia. Usando los datos del estudio ICCS 2016, en la que participaron 24 países, evaluamos la adecuación métrica de concepto de actitudes hacia la igualdad de derechos contrastando un modelo unidimensional (disponible en la documentación original) con un modelo bidimensional. Además, evaluamos los niveles de comparabilidad de las mediciones con análisis factorial confirmatorio multigrupo. Los resultados muestran que el modelo bidimensional logra sustanciales mejoras. Adicionalmente, la evaluación de la invarianza del modelo bidimensional muestra adecuados niveles de comparabilidad (invarianza métrica y escalar). Esto quiere decir que el instrumento especificado en sus dos dimensiones posee una comprensión similar por los participantes de los distintos países de la muestra. Por tanto, se podría comparar los niveles de cada dimensión y la relación de estas dimensiones con otras variables

Estimation of SIMCE Test Performance with Socioeconomic Data using Ordinal Classifiers

We propose two ordinal classifiers (logistic regression and LightGBM) to estimate the school learning level (obtained by an ordinal transformation of the school's average score in the math section of the SIMCE test) for students in the 4th grade of primary schooling. We trained these classifiers with socioeconomic variables that characterize Chilean schools. This dataset included Alonso-Villar and Del Rio's local segregation index to measure socioeconomic and gender segregation at the school level compared to the district level. For the socioeconomic segregation, we used a vulnerability criterion based on the status of a student as a recipient of the subsidy established by Law 20.248 (SEP). We used a greedy algorithm based on Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) and the Prediction Power Score (PPS) to automatically select the most orthogonal features in this dataset. This algorithm selected six variables, being the most important the self-esteem and motivation index, and both the socioeconomic and gender segregation of the school. Due to the inherent imbalance in the data, we used Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique for Nominal and Continuous (SMOTE-NC) on the training data and random under-sampling on the test data. The classifiers were hyperparametrized with Bayesian optimization to avoid exploring the whole hyperparameter space. Ordinal logistic regression had slightly better AUC and slightly worst accuracy than LightGBM. Nevertheless, a boosting algorithm applied to the ordinal logistic regression classifier slightly improved its performance over LightGBM, both in AUC and accuracy

Percepción de desigualdad económica y su influencia sobre la justificación de las diferencias de ingreso legítimas

Este estudio analiza el efecto de la información factual sobre desigualdad económica en la justificación de desigualdad salarial. Se implementó un diseño experimental a través de encuestas en una muestra representativa del área metropolitana de Santiago de Chile (n=732), con el objetivo de replicar los resultados reportados por Kriss-Stella Trump (2017) para el contexto de Suecia y Estados Unidos en torno a la justificación de brechas salariales. Nuestros resultados muestran que la información sobre salarios reales no impacta la justificación de la brecha salarial global. Sin embargo, se evidenció que la información sobre desigualdad salarial incrementa la justificación de brechas salarial según ocupaciones de alto y bajo estatus, lo cual es potenciado por la exposición conjunta a la condición que busca motivar la justificación del sistema social. Se discuten las limitantes metodológicas del estudio, en conjunto de las implicancias de la evidencia sobre el estudio sustantivo de actitudes hacia la desigualdad y la redistribución económica

Simple silver staining procedures for the location of nucleolus and nucleolar organizer under light and electron microscopy

8 p.-10 fig.This paper deals with the localization of the nucleolus and nucleolar organizer regions in different animal cells by means of a simple silver staining procedure. The shape, number and position of the nucleolus and nucleolar organizer regions can be recognized under light microscopy by using silver staining after ethanol-acetic acid fixation in squashed preparations, as well as under electron microscopy after glutaraldehyde fixation.This paper was partially realized by a grant from the Comisión Asesora para la Investigación Científica y Técnica (Spain) and during the tenure of a Convenio Universidad de Chile-CSIC and CNPQ (Brazil)-CSIC (Spain).Peer reviewe