4 The Record – Methodology

Methodology

THE PROBLEM

Recognizing how intersecting and interlocked misogyny, cishetsexism, racism, and economic injustice can raise the stakes of risk and risk-taking, we wanted to learn how queer and/or racialized young women and gender-expansive youth navigated both the new risks created by COVID-19 and the “regular” ones it disrupted. Instead of expecting or looking for a single or simple answer, we wanted to collect multiple, complicated stories in order to better understand the multiple, complicated lives of young people.

METHODS

We therefore designed and carried out a study centered on multiplicity. Between February 2022 and July 2022, our multiple-discipline (sociology, education, public health, psychology, social work) and multiple-generation research team (professors, doctoral students, undergraduate students) collected data from 16-21 year old queer and/or racialized young women and gender-expansive youth in multiple cities (Toronto, New York, and Melbourne) using multiple methods. First, 703 participants across the three cities completed a survey consisting of questions about their attitudes, feelings, and characteristics. The survey data are useful in providing a backdrop or painting a general picture of our study sample.

321
timeline participants
4653
entries
102
interviews

After the survey, 321 participants then created personal timelines of key events and experiences in their lives during COVID. Participants posted a total of 4,653 entries, sharing stories and feelings about family, friends, school, intimate relationships, and personal perspectives and identities. On average, participants created 16 entries on their timelines, with some including as many as 41. Entries included everything from open-ended narratives, checklists of emotions associated with an event, emojis and hashtags, and even a few playlists of songs that reminded participants of the experience. The timeline entries, which can be analyzed quantitatively, qualitatively, or both combined, help put life events in context and gave participants a chance to reflect on these in a different way.

Last, we conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews with 102 participants. Although their timeline entries often provided a jumping-off point for the interviews, they also explored the meanings and impact of experiences more deeply, offering insight into how participants experienced and made sense of risk – for better and for worse – during COVID.