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Survey on International Mobility of Students

• 1Contact
  • 1.1Contact organisation
    National Statistics Institute of Spain
    
  • 1.5Contact mail address
    Paseo de la Castellana 183 - 28046 Madrid
    
• 2Metadata update
  • 2.1Metadata last certified
    15/03/2019
  • 2.2Metadata last posted
    15/03/2019
  • 2.3Metadata last update
    15/03/2019
• 3Statistical presentation
  • 3.1Data description

    The Survey on the International Mobility of Students (EMIDE) is a statistical research aimed at persons aged between 18 and 34 living in main family dwellings, whose objective is to provide information on the possible trips abroad for study or training purposes that these persons may have carried out throughout the different stages of their educational formation.

    The main variables researched are mobility, length of stay and country or place of destination. Sex and age are also investigated.

  • 3.2Classification system
    • Clasificaciones utilizadas

      National Classification of Education 2014 (CNED-2014)

  • 3.3Sector coverage

    This study investigates people aged 18 to 34 living in main family dwellings. Graduates and students at each of the levels of education are researched. Each of these levels constitutes a specific sector of research in this statistic. The planned research areas are covered.

  • 3.4Statistical concepts and definitions
    • Age
      Age in years refers to the number of birthdays reached by the reference date, in other words, the age last birthday.
    • Movilidad internacional de estudiantes
      Desplazamiento de una persona al extranjero por motivos de formación durante un período determinado de tiempo.
    • País de destino del estudiante
      Se trata de aquel país al que se ha desplazado la persona en cuestión para realizar allí parte de sus estudios o actividades formativas.
    • Sex
      Sex refers to the biological sex of the person. According to the WHO, "sex" refers to biological and physiological features defining to men and women, whereas "gender" refers to the roles, behaviour, activities and attributes constructed socially that a specific culture regards as appropriate for men and women. In accordance with this description, the WHO regards "man" and "woman" as sex categories, whereas "male" and "female" are gender categories.
  • 3.5Statistical unit

    People between 18 and 34 years old who reside in main family dwellings.

  • 3.6Statistical population

    The statistical population is made up of the group of persons aged between 18 and 34 resident in main family dwellings.

  • 3.7Reference area

    The survey covers the entire national territory.

  • 3.8Time coverage

    The survey has been carried out with reference to the year 2014.

  • 3.9Base period

    The base period is the year 2014.

• 4Unit of measure
  • 4.1Unit of measure
• 5Reference period
  • 5.1Reference period

    Given the specific characteristics of this survey and its scope of research, the main variables of this survey linked to the international mobility of students do not have a fixed and uniform time reference for each and every one of the persons interviewed or for each and every one of the different levels of education. In effect, the time reference of the data collected is different, and depends in each specific case on the corresponding period of time in which each person has carried out their studies or training throughout the different educational stages.

    Data referring to the period: EMIDE 2014

• 6Institutional mandate
  • 6.1Legal acts and other agreements

    The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2017-2020, approved by Royal Decree 410/2016, of 31 October, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2017-2020. (Statistics of the State Administration).

    
    

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  • 6.2Data sharing
    The exchanges of information needed to elaborate statistics between the INE and the rest of the State statistical offices (Ministerial Departments, independent bodies and administrative bodies depending on the State General Administration), or between these offices and the Autonomic statistical offices, are regulated in the LFEP (Law of the Public Statistic Function). This law also regulates the mechanisms of statistical coordination, and concludes cooperation agreements between the different offices when necessary.
    

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• 7Confidentiality
  • 7.1Confidentiality - policy
    The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society
    
  • 7.2Confidentiality - data treatment
    INE provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality. Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE employees have available the INE data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected. The microdata files provided to users are anonymised.
    

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• 8Release policy
  • 8.1Release calendar
    The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
    
  • 8.2Release calendar access
    The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)
    
  • 8.3User access
    The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website (www.ine.es/en) almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice
    
• 9Frequency of dissemination
  • 9.1Frequency of dissemination

    This investigation has a one-off character. The results of the Survey on the International Mobility of Students have been disseminated in 2015.

• 10Accessibility and clarity
  • 10.1News release
    The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web
    
  • 10.2Publications

    All the information related to the Survey on the International Mobility of Students (EMIDE) is published on the INE website:

    https://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft13%2Fp472&file=inebase&L=1

  • 10.3On-line database

    INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.

    
    

    The results are available on the INE website in the section:

    https://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft13%2Fp472&file=inebase&L=1

  • 10.4Micro-data access
    A lot of statistical operations disseminate public domain anonymized files, available free of charge for downloading in the INE website Microdata Section
    

    Access to microdata would be subject to confidentiality safeguards and statistical regulations on this matter.

    https://www.ine.es/prodyser/micro_emide.htm

  • 10.5Other

    There is the possibility of requesting custom-made information (safeguarding, in any case, statistical secrecy) to the INE user service area. For more information consult the following link:

    https://www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?c=Page&p=1254735638180&pagename=ProductosYServicios%2FPYSLayout&cid=1254735638180&L=1

  • 10.6Documentation on methodology

    The methodology is available on the INE website on the page corresponding to this statistic. Likewise, this standardised methodological report constitutes a source of information on various methodological aspects of the statistics.

    For more information please consult the following website:

    https://www.ine.es/inebmenu/mnu_educa.htm#13

  • 10.7Quality documentation

    This standardised methodological report contains all the elements of what is considered to be a "user-oriented quality report" for this operation.

• 11Quality management
  • 11.1Quality assurance

    Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 16 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.

    
    

    During the information collection phase, the appropriate quality controls have been established (introduced in the collection application itself) to guarantee the correct functioning of the flow structure of the questionnaire and to detect inconsistencies between variables.
    This initial phase has been completed (once the input file with the data of the different persons interviewed is available) with an analysis of the contents of the file in order to check its coverage, carry out an initial assessment of its contents and detect possible systemic errors not initially foreseen. All this with the aim of guaranteeing that said file fulfils the minimum conditions of acceptance in order to be able to continue with the rest of the editing stages.
    
    During the editing and cleaning process of the information, the completeness and consistency of the contents of the different recorded registers have been analysed and the errors detected have been corrected.

  • 11.2Quality assessment

    The different processes of this survey have been designed with the aim of guaranteeing the quality of the results offered.

    One of the strong points of this survey is its contribution to the knowledge of a reality of unquestionable social interest (international mobility) for which there are no alternative information sources of a general nature. On the other hand, the reduced non-response rate should also be highlighted, both overall (of the information as a whole) and partial (of the different variables researched), which has a positive impact on the quality of the final results.

    The objectives of this survey are in any case limited, as it is part of a European pilot project. For the future these objectives can be extended to investigate in more detail the phenomenon of international mobility.

• 12Relevance
  • 12.1User needs

    The main users of this survey are:

    -Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport and other public bodies.

    -Researchers and Universities.

    -Companies and non-profit institutions.

    -Individuals.

  • 12.2User satisfaction

    The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...

    On the INE website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.(Click  next link)

     

    
    

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  • 12.3Completeness

    The Survey on the International Mobility of Students satisfies the requirements established in the National Statistical Plan in the section on Social Statistics, and covers the entire population under study. The corresponding rate is 100%.

• 13Accuracy and reliability
  • 13.1Overall accuracy

    Accuracy in a survey is a joint measure of sampling errors (precision) and non-sampling errors (bias).

    In all stages of the process, these types of errors are controlled, both in terms of precision through sample design, and bias through collection procedures, data processing, etc.

    The sample design is aimed at reducing sampling errors. Calibration techniques have also been applied to reduce possible biases due to non-response.

    On the other hand, the different processes of the survey, both in the collection phase and in the subsequent cleaning and editing phase, have been programmed with the objective of reducing, as far as possible, non-sampling errors.

  • 13.2Sampling error

    The coefficients of variation of the main variables are published. The results can be found in the following link:

    www.ine.es/inebmenu/mnu_educa.htm#13

  • 13.3Non-sampling error

    During the processing of the information, non-sampling errors (non-response, filling errors, etc.) are detected and limited as far as possible. The non-response rate of the survey was 18.1%.

• 14Timeliness and punctuality
  • 14.1Timeliness

    The results of this survey have been disseminated 8 months after the reference date of the survey (1 September 2014).

  • 14.2Punctuality

    The dissemination of the results is carried out in accordance with the structural statistics availability calendar that the INE prepares and publishes each year.

• 15Coherence and Comparability
  • 15.1Comparability - geographical

    The availability of a common methodology guarantees the comparability of the results with the rest of the European Union countries.

  • 15.2Comparability - over time

    It is not possible to carry out a time comparability of the information since this is the first time that the survey has been produced.

  • 15.3Coherence - cross domain

    There are no alternative sources on international mobility.

  • 15.4Coherence - internal

    The internal consistency of the statistics is a consequence of the application of the same methodological criteria and of a detailed analysis of the possible inconsistencies existing between the different variables.

• 16Cost and burden
  • 16.1Cost and burden

    The estimated appropriation necessary to finance this survey foreseen in the 2014 and 2015 annual programmes amounts to a total of 174,87 thousand euros.

    The use of some variables from other statistical sources has allowed to reduce, to a certain extent, the burden on respondents. The average time for completing the questionnaire in the CATI collection (telephone interviews) was 4.3 minutes.

• 17Data revision
  • 17.1Data revision - policy

    The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).

    This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow:  routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.

    
    

    The data disseminated are final.

  • 17.2Data revision - practice

    There is no revision of data in this survey.

• 18Statistical processing
  • 18.1Source data

    The data in this survey have been obtained by means of a mixed system of CAWI collection (via the Internet) and CATI (telephone interviews).

  • 18.2Frequency of data collection

    The survey has a one-off character and therefore it does not have a periodicity.

  • 18.3Data collection

    The data collection has been carried out by means of a mixed system CAWI (collection via the Internet) and CATI (telephone interviews).

    The period for collecting the survey information was approximately 2.5 months, beginning in mid-August 2014 and ending on 31 October of the same year.

    The CAWI phase began with the sending of letters to the persons selected in the sample, in which they were informed of the objectives and purpose of the survey and were provided with a user code and an access key to have the possibility of completing the survey information via the Internet through the IRIA collection platform implemented on the INE website.

    The CATI phase began approximately one month later than the CAWI phase. During this phase, calls were made to people who were still waiting to answer the survey so that they could complete the information via phone interview.

  • 18.4Data validation

    During the editing and cleaning process of the information, the completeness and consistency of the information collected is studied. For this purpose, the appropriate coverage and quality controls of the information are established, the first indicators and rates are obtained and the first tabulations of the main variables are generated.

    Once the editing phase is finished, the calculation of the elevation factors is carried out and the results are tabulated.

  • 18.5Data compilation

    The last phase before the dissemination of the information is aimed at analysing the aggregated information and verifying the consistency of the information provided.

  • 18.6Adjustment

    No adjustments are made.

• 19Comment
  • 19.1Comment