Innovative methods for studying migration dynamics: Insights from the DYNAMIG project

This report presents methodological insights from the DYNAMIG project, which studies migration decision-making as a dynamic and evolving process rather than a one-off choice.

Gender mainstreaming is essential. Gender norms and inequalities shape migration aspirations and constraints and affect who can be reached by different research methods.

Social media advertising enables fast, scalable recruitment for survey experiments in the Global South, but systematically produces gender and access biases that require active correction and monitoring.

Elite conjoint survey experiments provide structured and rare evidence on how policymakers and experts understand migration drivers and policy levers, complementing migrant-focused data.

Digital diaries capture migration decision-making as it unfolds over time, revealing shifts in aspirations, emotions, and information that retrospective approaches miss.

Visual elicitation tools, such as the Blob Bridge, help access affective and relational dimensions of migration that are difficult to verbalize through standard interviews.

Overall, the report shows that migration research benefits from combining complementary methods within designs that are context-sensitive, ethically grounded, especially if researchers are aware of and appropriately deal with their limits.