Which definition of migration better fits Facebook ‘expats’? A response using Mexican census data

• Published in: Demographic research Vol. 50; pp. 1171 - 1184
• Main Authors: Varona, Tania, Masferrer, Claudia, Prieto Rosas, Victoria, Pedemonte, Martín
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rostock Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research 01-01-2024; Max Planck Institut für Demografische Forschung
• Subjects: Age; Age differences; Age groups; Census; Census of Population; Censuses; Country of birth; Country of origin; Data quality; Demographic aspects; Estimates; Evaluation; Expatriates; Expatriation; Households; Immigrants; Immigration; Independent variables; Internal migration; Internet; Internet access; Migrants; Migration; Online social networks; Penetration; Populations; Quality assessment; Quality control; Real time; Regression analysis; Regression models; Residence; Sex; Sex differences; Social media; Social networks; Technology application; Mexico; United States > US
• ISSN: 1435-9871; 1435-9871; 2363-7064
• DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2024.50.39

Data from social media have emerged as an auxiliary source for real-time information on migrant populations. Facebook users' tagged 'expat' data--an 'expat' being someone who lived in country x but now lives in country y--has been used to estimate immigrants and its quality assessment has relied on household surveys and UNDESA migration estimates. Using the census as the gold standard and six definitions of migration, we examine differences between the 2020 Mexican Census and Facebook data by national origin, age, and sex. We also examine internet penetration among migrants. We estimate migration stocks by sex, age, and country of origin for nine Latin American countries, using six definitions of migration available within the census. To evaluate biases of Facebook data, we estimate a series of linear regression models on migrant stocks where our key independent variable is 'expat,' and we control for age, sex, and origin, as well as internet penetration rate. CONTRIBUTION