Ethical and demographic research: general reflexions and the situation in France

Cecile Lefevre, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Jean-Marc Rohrbasser, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

This paper will treat ethical questions and deontological problems specific to a particular type of researcher in social sciences: the demographer. After an overview of definitions (ethics, morality and deontology), we shall treat the deontological situation of the demographer as a researcher collecting and using data gathered from other human beings. Here, we are concerned with exploratory sociodemographic surveys and not, therefore, the production of censuses and civil records. Some examples linked to recent surveys (Gender and Generation Surveys (GGS) ; Longitudinal studies of children (ELFE); Survey of migration between the Senegal and Europe (MAFE), etc.) will illustrate our purpose. They will enable us to address pragmatically the questions of enlightened consent and communication of results. Finally, we shall introduce the main elements of the French context.