Using a hybrid data collection tool: Analysis of youth labour market trajectories integrating quantitative, qualitative and social network data

Abstract

This article explains the factors that led to the use of a hybrid data collection tool—i.e., a single questionnaire designed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data—in two different research projects that focused on the relation between the labour market trajectories of young people and the use and accumulation of network social capital in these trajectories. The article describes the characteristics of this tool and the methodological challenges posed by its use. The advantages and disadvantages of this specific type of data collection are also addressed. Among the main advantages, the improvement of data quality and the overarching picture obtained of the career path and use of personal networks are highlighted. The most important downside found is the amount of time needed in the interview, which shows the need to pay attention to the balance between quantitative and qualitative elements in the structure of the questionnaire.