Last month, members of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science presented at a workshop aimed at unlocking the ways consumer data from businesses and organisations can be used in demographic research.
Organised by Dr Francesco Rampazzo, the workshop attracted international organisations and businesses that are currently working in partnership with researchers in the social sciences.
The Unlocking Industry Collaborations for the Social Sciences Workshop aimed to strengthen these collaborations – informing companies about the usage of their data and enabling researchers to gain firsthand insight into the priorities and challenges faced by businesses and organisations.
Representatives from the Unstereotype Alliance, UN Women, and Population Europe attended the workshop alongside businesses including Getty Images, Nielsen BookData, Cosmic Latte, and MammaPack.
Dr Francesco Rampazzo emphasised the need for researchers to look beyond traditional data sources, and focus on unconventional data sources that can be invaluable for identifying and analysing social demographic trends in representation - often overlooked or missed by traditional data sources.
The Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science specialises in the use of unconventional data sources which was highlighted throughout the workshop. Dr Francesco Rampazzo highlighted the importance of industry partnerships in his current research which includes working with several companies to better understand LGBTQ+ representation around the world.
The Centre's DPhil student Micol Morellini presented on her collaboration with Saïd Business School and companies in order to study the fertility of migrants using e-commerce data. DPhil student Morten Thomsen also discussed his thesis which is making use of image sales data from Getty Images to examine the inequalities faced by transgender people around the world.
From left to right: Francesco Rampazzo, Micol Morellini and Morten Thomsen presenting at the workshop. Credit: Oxford Atelier / MT Studio / Monika
Read more about the workshop, including a students insight of the day.
