Some Thoughts About Data Transparency
I was thinking about this a while back (and maybe I already wrote something on it but just don’t remember - this year has been a bit wild for many reasons).
Would people find it useful to have data from aro research available publicly?
Of course, this does not apply to past surveys I’ve run or helped run, because that would be a breach of confidentiality. However, I was thinking about that for the future. Having all the data, as opposed to just the general breakdown and percentages, could be useful for folks who don’t want to create and recruit for their own research but have ideas for interesting analyses. Of course, if I were to ever do this, I would make it very clear in the instructions and throughout the research what data (if any) would become publicly available later. Perhaps I could even add in a question about whether people are fine with being included in the public data.
Making data publicly available, particularly for aros and other queer folks, can be tricky. Making only numbers available could be useful for demographic comparisons, but I know that some types of research (and even surveys) involve longer narratives that aren’t as neutral. Even if not intentional, if someone is really familiar with a particular person’s writing/speaking style or a participant comments something that could identify them, making that publicly available could pose confidentiality risks. On the other hand, having raw data from things like interviews, online discourses, and other similar things could be very valuable to analyze. Those always go more in-depth and are more nuanced than frequencies and percentages.
Data security and participant safety should always be of utmost importance in research (especially for marginalized people). Heck, my entire Master’s thesis changed when I had ethical doubts like this, so I’m always trying to be vigilant about this.
I’m curious about your thoughts. Whether you’re a researcher or not, your voice is important. Even better if conversations like these have already happened somewhere that you could point me to!
