A Total Survey Error Perspective on Psychological Research with Unaccompanied Refugee Minors

Surveys of specific target groups that are hard to survey are prone to errors and biases. In this paper, we use the Total Survey Error (TSE) framework and a study on unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) in Germany to discuss how a mixed-methods quantitative-dominant research design can address challenges of quantitative-only surveys of such groups. We show that unit nonresponse and measurement are two main levels of bias that can be partly supplemented by qualitative research. In addition, taking ethical considerations into account when researching URMs affects the quality of quantitative surveys. This effect cannot be avoided, but it should be classified by researchers. We conclude that surveying hard-to-survey populations benefits from a combination of quantitative surveys and semi-structured interviews.