Full Citation

Title: Who Counts? Measuring Disability Cross-Nationally in Census Data

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2021

ISBN:

ISSN: 2325-0984

DOI: 10.1093/JSSAM/SMAA046

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: Despite established recommended standard definitions, measures, and methods by the UN Washington Group on Disability Statistics and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to assess dimensions of disability, national censuses vary widely in the questions used to identify people with disabilities. Although many seek to conform ex-ante to ICF definitions, they also deviate from this basic framework in different ways. This complicates ex-post harmonization and standardization for cross-national comparisons of disability prevalence and outcomes influenced by disability status, such as labor market participation. Addressing these issues, this study uses IPUMS International Census microdata since 2,000 to examine disability measurement across 65 countries. We find that definitions, terminology, measurement, and instructions to both respondents and enumerators matter for understanding disability prevalence cross-nationally. For instance, questions that included potentially stigmatizing language were associated with lower rates of disability reporting, but questions that listed specific limitations were associated with higher rates. Beyond disability, our findings also speak more broadly to ongoing challenges in survey harmonization for cross-national comparison.

Url: https://academic.oup.com/jssam/article/9/2/257/6140008

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Pettinicchio, David; Maroto, Michelle

Periodical (Full): Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology

Issue: 2

Volume: 9

Pages: 257-284

Data Collections: IPUMS International

Topics: Health, Population Health and Health Systems

Countries: