Strategies for surveying platform workers: lessons from a Belgian case study

J. Gevaert (), J. Doms, E. Vandevenne and K. Van Aerden
Additional contact information
J. Gevaert: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
J. Doms: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
E. Vandevenne: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
K. Van Aerden: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2025, vol. 59, issue 1, No 10, 231 pages

Abstract: Abstract Job quality among platform workers has been high on labour market researchers’ agendas. Nevertheless, many report difficulties in collecting data for this group of workers. Platform workers meet many of the criteria of hard-to-survey populations. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether purposive, non-probability sampling can provide a good strategy for collecting information on the job quality of platform workers through an internet survey (SEAD Platform Survey). The study on which this paper is based, employed different strategies by dividing platform workers into categories based on type of activity. Sampling techniques were adapted to each category and included referral, social media advertisements, (virtual) convenience sampling and a web panel. Despite the cost and labor intensity of these non-probability sampling techniques, a sizeable sample (N = 490) of platform workers was collected. Moreover, the SEAD Platform Survey showed very similar characteristics to previous probability samples within the study population (LFS Module platform work, COLLEEM II, and the ETUI IPWS). Researchers focusing on (other) hard-to-survey (worker) populations can learn from this endeavor, showing that when there is little to no opportunity for probability sampling, purposive, non-probability sampling techniques can offer a good alternative to reach a rich, statistical resource.

Keywords: Platform workers; Internet survey; Non-probability sampling; Purposive sampling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-024-01935-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:59:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s11135-024-01935-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11135

DOI: 10.1007/s11135-024-01935-5

Access Statistics for this article

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology is currently edited by Vittorio Capecchi

More articles in Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().