The effect of roles prescribed by active ageing on quality of life across European regions

The active ageing approach supports a set of roles or activities that are supposed to be beneficial for older adults. This paper reassesses the benefits of activities for the quality of life by (a) analysing many activities at the same time to control each other, (b) using panel data to detect the effects of activities over time, and (c) performing separate analyses for four European regions to test the context-specificity of the effects. The effects of roles in later life are tested on panel data from three waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project. The results of fixed-effects regression show that only some activities – volunteering, participating in a club and physical activity – increase the quality of life, and that care-giving within the household has the opposite effect. Moreover, the beneficial effects are much weaker and less stable than the other types of regression suggest; they are beneficial only in some regions, and their effect is much weaker than the effects of age, health and economic situation. Therefore, the active ageing approach and activity theory should reflect the diverse conditions and needs of older adults to formulate more-context-sensitive and less-normative policy recommendations

Prevalence of activities in later life across European regions

The active ageing policy supports several types of activities, including labour force participation, caregiving, social participation, and physical activity. The paper illustrates the prevalence of supported activities across individual characteristics and four supra-national European regions to assess how these activities are available for specific groups of older people. The analysis draws on wave 6 from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe held in 2015. A set of figures describes the availability of activities sorted by gender, age, health status, and the level of education in 17 European countries divided into four regions, and thus, presents the unavailable descriptive data important for researchers and policymakers. The results most of all show that the majority of the 50+ population engages in vigorous physical activity, whilst labour force participation and caregiving concern about one-third of it, and other activities much less. The findings show the inadequacy of the active ageing as a uniform context-insensitive EU policy and detect its potential for raising inequalities in later life, whilst the theoretical implications are discussed

The social desirability bias across modes : The case of the Czech experimental survey

Increasing costs and declining response rates lead to the utilisation of mixed-mode surveys, especially push-to-web surveys. Our project develops an optimal design of CAWI+CAPI data collection for the Czech settings, which faces the thread of mode effect (especially for sensitive questions). Differences in distributions of several sensitive questions appeared in the data, although the pattern is not consistent. Thus, we recommend cautious use of mixed-mode data, including checks for mode differences, using mode as a control variable, and most importantly - a thorough preparation of each questionnaire and data collection

Potenciál smíšeného módu za krize výběrových šetření : jak motivovat ke spolupráci?

Pokud má sociologická obec ambici přinášet relevantní poznatky, potřebuje neustále vyvíjet nástroje používané pro sběr dat a přizpůsobovat je změnám v sociálním prostředí. Jednou z ambiciózních inovací v oblasti kvantitativního výzkumu je systematické kombinování různých forem výběrových šetření (osobní, telefonické, elektronické, korespondenční) do tzv. smíšeného módu dotazování. Příspěvek představí nejen základní východiska a principy smíšeného módu (angl. multimode nebo mixed-mode), ale i dílčí výsledky jeho systematického vývoje a testování v rámci sociologického, demografického a marketingového výzkumu. Konkrétně vycházíme z vlastních focus groups a dvou šetření provedených v minulých měsících a testujících proveditelnost kombinace navolávání metodou Náhodného vytáčení čísel, administraci rozsáhlého dotazníku online, a dosběru neinternetových populací tazatelem. Studie připravující půdu pro rozsáhlá dotazování tohoto druhu potvrdila nízkou úspěšnost rekrutace přes telefonní navolávání, která nicméně vede k vyváženému vzorku. Zjistili jsme také důležitost finanční odměny, která může především zvýšit důvěru v průzkum a vnímání jeho důležitost a její výše nehraje významnou roli. Celkově se jako nepostradatelná ukazuje znalost poznatků zahraničního metodologického výzkumu, které zároveň musí být přejímány kriticky s důrazem na testování kulturně-specifických prvků v českém prostředí.The sociological community needs to constantly develop the tools used for data collection and adapt it to changes in the social environment, if it has the ambition to bring relevant knowledge. One of the ambitious innovations in quantitative research is the systematic combination of various forms of data collection (personal, telephone, electronic, correspondence) into the so-called mixed-mode survey. The paper will present not only the basic principles and principles of mixed-mode (multimode or mixed-mode), but also the results of its systematic development and testing in sociological, demographic and marketing research. Specifically, we draw on our focus groups and two surveys conducted in recent months to test the feasibility of a combination of RDD, the administration of an extensive online questionnaire, and the interviewer's collection of non-Internet populations. A study paving the way for large-scale inquiries of this kind confirmed the low success rate of telephone recruiting, which nevertheless leads to a balanced sample. We have also identified the importance of financial rewards, which can primarily increase confidence in research and perception of its importance, although its amount does not play a significant role. Overall, the findings of foreign methodological research prove to be indispensable, but many aspects of the mixed-mode design must be tested separately in the culturally-specific Czech environment

Smíšený mód a online dotazování : mezinárodní praxe a tuzemská připravenost na implementaci

The cost of interviewer-administered data collection (CAPI, CATI) has been gradually rising, while response rates have been declining over time. This situation has led to the domination of online data collection (CAWI), which tends to suffer from poor population coverage and even lower response rates. This could be overcome by combining this method with another mode of data collection. This paper aims to summarise the main principles of mixed-mode design, its implementation in major international surveys, and the first results of a project testing the feasibility of the push-to-web mixed-mode design in the Czech context. The results illustrate that together, unequal distribution of technological skills and willingness to participate distort the recruitment of random samples for CAWI towards middle-aged and more educated respondents. The mixed-mode design – together with the described components – has the potential to better involve underrepresented groups, while it is essential to follow the rules for achieving comparable answers across modes and devices. Finally, we emphasize the need to disseminate findings to researchers and other users of survey data, as the use of mixed-mode design has been rapidly increasing.The cost of interviewer-administered data collection (CAPI, CATI) has been gradually rising, while response rates have been declining over time. This situation has led to the domination of online data collection (CAWI), which tends to suffer from poor population coverage and even lower response rates. This could be overcome by combining this method with another mode of data collection. This paper aims to summarise the main principles of mixed-mode design, its implementation in major international surveys, and the first results of a project testing the feasibility of the push-to-web mixed-mode design in the Czech context. The results illustrate that together, unequal distribution of technological skills and willingness to participate distort the recruitment of random samples for CAWI towards middle-aged and more educated respondents. The mixed-mode design – together with the described components – has the potential to better involve underrepresented groups, while it is essential to follow the rules for achieving comparable answers across modes and devices. Finally, we emphasize the need to disseminate findings to researchers and other users of survey data, as the use of mixed-mode design has been rapidly increasing

Open Science and the Science-Society Relationship

Nowadays, the prevailing trend in the science-society relationship is to engage with the broader public, which is beneficial for the public, scientific institutes, scientific findings, and the legitimacy of science as a whole. This article provides a broad review of the rapidly growing research on Open Science and identifies the gaps in the current knowledge for future research. The review focuses on the science-society relationship, such that knowledge from this field is summarised and systematised. Insight into the most salient topics, including science communication, public engagement with science, public cognition of science, and challenges and potential unintended consequences connected to interactions with the public are examined. The first section of the paper focuses on science communication which involves efforts and approaches to inform the public about science by the most effective means. The section on public engagement reviews how scientists and scientific institutions are increasingly involved in direct interactions with the public and different groups of stakeholders to make science more open. The section focusing on public cognition of science provides information about public knowledge, perception, and trust regarding science, which both determines and is formed by public engagement. Last, risks, ethical issues, and data issues connected to the implementation of Open Science principles are reviewed, as there are many unintended consequences of Open Science which are examined by this current research. In conclusion, research covering the science-society relationship is rapidly growing. However, it brings multiple challenges as well as opportunities which are captured and discussed in a variety of existing studies. This article provides a coherent overview of this field in order to bring more comprehensible knowledge to scientists, scientific institutions, and outreach professionals

Mixed-mode : design and implementation in the Czech context. Manual for researchers and data users.

This manual is intended for implementers (research agencies, academic institutions), commissioners (public institutions, companies, NGOs, media, academic institutions) and users (all of the above, including other entities working with data) of questionnaire surveys. To meet the needs of these groups of readers, the manual presents information for a) implementing mixed-mode, b) considering it when commissioning data collection, and c) reflecting on data generation when analysing and processing the results. The individual chapters build on each other rather loosely and can therefore be read selectively according to current needs.Tento manuál je určen pro realizátory (výzkumné agentury, akademická pracoviště), zadavatele (veřejné instituce, firmy, neziskové organizace, média, akademická pracoviště) i uživatele (všichni výše zmínění včetně dalších subjektů pracujících s daty) dotazníkových šetření. Pro potřeby těchto skupin čtenářů manuál představuje informace pro a) realizaci smíšeného módu, b) jeho zvážení při zadávání sběru dat a c) reflektování vzniku dat při analýze a zpracování výsledků. Jednotlivé kapitoly na sebe navazují spíše volně a je tedy možné číst je selektivně dle aktuálních potřeb

Smíšený mód : design a implementace v českém prostředí. Manuál pro výzkumníky a zadavatele.

Tento manuál je určen pro realizátory (výzkumné agentury, akademická pracoviště), zadavatele (veřejné instituce, firmy, neziskové organizace, média, akademická pracoviště) i uživatele (všichni výše zmínění včetně dalších subjektů pracujících s daty) dotazníkových šetření. Pro potřeby těchto skupin čtenářů manuál představuje informace pro a) realizaci smíšeného módu, b) jeho zvážení při zadávání sběru dat a c) reflektování vzniku dat při analýze a zpracování výsledků. Jednotlivé kapitoly na sebe navazují spíše volně a je tedy možné číst je selektivně dle aktuálních potřeb.This manual is intended for implementers (research agencies, academic institutions), commissioners (public institutions, companies, NGOs, media, academic institutions) and users (all of the above, including other entities working with data) of questionnaire surveys. To meet the needs of these groups of readers, the manual presents information for a) implementing mixed-mode, b) considering it when commissioning data collection, and c) reflecting on data generation when analysing and processing the results. The individual chapters build on each other rather loosely and can therefore be read selectively according to current needs

The motivation for citizens’ involvement in life sciences research is predicted by age and gender

Open Science is an umbrella term encompassing multiple concepts as open access to publications, open data, open education and citizen science that aim to make science more open and transparent. Citizen science, an important facet of Open Science, actively involves nonscientists in the research process, and can potentially be beneficial for multiple actors, such as scientists, citizens, policymakers and society in general. However, the reasons that motivate different segments of the public to participate in research are still understudied. Therefore, based on data gathered from a survey conducted in Czechia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK (N = 5,870), this study explores five types of incentives that can motivate individuals to become involved in life sciences research. The results demonstrate that men and younger individuals are more persuaded by extrinsic motives (external benefits or rewards), as compared with women and older people, who are driven by intrinsic motives (that originates from within an individual). This paper shows that specific strata of the population are differentially motivated to engage in research, thereby providing relevant knowledge for effectively designing public involvement activities that target various groups of the public in research projects