Survey experiments in migration research

In the last two decades, survey experiments – where researchers manipulate aspects of a survey – have become one of the most popular methods for testing causal mechanisms in research on public opinion. With the advent of relatively cheap online surveys, they have become affordable and accessible to many, although they can be – and often are – administered in lab and face-to-face settings too. Compared to traditional survey questions they offer a promise to measure attitudes that respondents might be hesitant to express openly, and especially in front of a human interviewer. Because in experiments survey samples are split into groups that receive different information or response options, the true nature of the question is frequently obscured. Again, particularly in the online setting, this gives some reassurance that social desirability bias is neutralised, and that respondents’ reactions can be causally linked to the experimental treatment. In migration studies, where we frequently deal with prejudices and other sensitive opinions, this has proven particularly useful. In this chapter, we will focus on the main types of survey experiments, highlighting what research questions and topics have been tackled and advanced by the use of survey experiments.