This paper is concerned with the question of representation in survey research,
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empiricist explanations of the social world are largely discredited and some
form of realism is now commonly favoured by researchers. Here I will argue that
whilst realism has made theoretical progress in sociology, in survey research
there has been an unfortunate accommodation between empiricist operationalism
and a naive methodological realism. I will argue that operationalism is not a
viable strategy and instead will put the case for a realist approach to
definition and measurement in survey research.
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