Research note

Measures of kinship size are increasingly common in sociodemographic studies. The size and structure of older adults' kinship networks can be ascertained via direct observation in a social survey or modeled using demographic techniques. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, but whethe...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: van Damme, Maike|||0000-0003-1080-9789, Alburez-Gutierrez, Diego|||0000-0002-9823-5179, Castro Torres, Andrés F.|||0000-0003-1032-3869
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:317807
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/317807
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1215/00703370-11961236
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Accordance
Cross-national comparison
Measurement
Kinship size
Descripción
Sumario:Measures of kinship size are increasingly common in sociodemographic studies. The size and structure of older adults' kinship networks can be ascertained via direct observation in a social survey or modeled using demographic techniques. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, but whether the two provide comparable estimates of kinship size is an open question. In this research note, we answer this question using social survey data and demographic models to estimate the size of older adults' kinship networks in 22 European countries. We find an impressively high association between the two approaches, with important variations by the kin type considered. We discuss the reasons for the divergence in the estimates and provide guidance for researchers interested in using either approach to quantify kinship size.