SODAS Data Discussion #2 (Spring 2024)
Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS) aspirers to be a resource for all students and researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences. We therefore invite researchers across the faculty to present ongoing research projects, project applications or just a loose idea that relates to the subject of social data science.
Two researchers will present their work. The rules are simple: Short research presentations of ten minutes are followed by twenty minutes of debate. No papers will be circulated beforehand, and the presentations cannot be longer than five slides.
Discussion 1
Presenter: Mauro Martinelli.
Title: SOS – Searching Online for Support. How online searches can help assess and address mental health issues in Denmark.
Abstract:
Mental health represents an integral part of individuals’ ability to live a healthy and happy life. Unfortunately, the proportion of individuals experiencing mental health issues and disorders is increasing over time, with three quarters of these starting within the first 18 years of age. Despite the availability of effective, evidence-based treatments, more than a third of young individuals who meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental health illness never access professional help. One particularly challenging barrier are cultural prejudices against people with mental illness, that hinder affected individuals from seeking help for fear of stigmatization. To address this issue, large-scale public health interventions countering mental illness stigma may be effective but are limited by a lack of reliable data for targeted implementation. National registries are often unavailable and survey measures suffer from desirability bias due to perceived stigmatization. This project works toward addressing these data challenges through a combination of recent insights on the potential of online search behaviors as indicators of sanctioned phenomena and the unique Danish registry environment. The project has three primary objectives: i) provide a proof of concept for using online search data to estimate the prevalence of mental health issues at the community level in Denmark; ii) validate online search data by combining them with population-based registry data and iii) provide the foundational work to examine the mechanisms driving the disparity between mental health issues and access to mental health care.
Discussion 2
Presenter: Sofie Læbo Astrupgaard.
Title: The Outbreak of Working From Home In Denmark.
Abstract:
I present findings from a study on the adoption of Working from Home (WFH) in Denmark post-Covid-19. Analyzing nearly 2 million Danish job ads using a mixed-methods approach, I explored the beneficiaries and diverse framings of WFH across job domains. The data revealed a notable increase in WFH opportunities, particularly among digitally reliant white-collar workers, a trend that persisted after government restrictions were lifted. Through examining job ad content, two overall discourses surrounding WFH emerged: one emphasizing worker autonomy and well-being, and another focusing on more employer-centric aspects such as collegiality. I posit that WFH is evolving into a privilege for select groups within the Danish workforce, with the extent of its benefits varying based on how it is framed, reflecting a neoliberalization in the labor market.