The illusion of universality: The use of Nordic population registers in studies of migration, employment and health.

Karl Gauffin

doi:10.1177/1403494820945919

Abstract

Aims: Nordic register material is often considered to be a gold standard for studies of social epidemiology and population health, but it comes with certain limitations. This short communication aims to draw attention to lacking coverage as a potentially growing problem of Nordic register material. Methods: The article is based on a short review of previous studies and commentaries on the strengths and limitations of Nordic register data with a particular focus on studies of employment and migration. Results: In times of institutional and demographic change in the Nordic countries, the assumption of universal register coverage can be challenged. Precarious and informal employment arrangements, important social determinants of health, provide a good illustration of the problem. Work that is carried out in the semi-legal margins of the labour market, sometimes by a ‘hidden population’ of non-resident, short-term labour immigrants, will not be covered by the registers. Researchers may therefore run the risk of misrepresenting reality if they maintain the belief that population registers cover the entire population. Conclusions: The Nordic registers are an extraordinary resource for public health researchers, but continuous quality control and assessment of validity and completeness will be crucial to maintain relevance in a transitioning society.

Highlights

The population registers offer researchers in the Nordic countries a number of extraordinary advantages and are often a cause of both astonishment and envy in the international public health research community
On the other hand, is usually not considered to be a problem for the Nordic registers, given the assumption of universal coverage based on personal identification numbers
The limitations of register coverage may be illustrated by the topic of precarious employment in the Nordic countries

Summary

Introduction

The population registers offer researchers in the Nordic countries a number of extraordinary advantages and are often a cause of both astonishment and envy in the international public health research community. Even though registers deliver excellent data on health and employment, they fail to capture individuals’ subjective evaluation of personal well-being or working environment, with researchers instead using proxy measures of such phenomena.

Results

Conclusion