ODISSEI LECTURE: How predictable are fertility outcomes? Introducing the PreFer data challenge and its potential for fertility research

6 October 2023

On Tuesday 12 December between 14-15 hrs, Gert Stulp, an associate professor at the department of Sociology at the University of Groningen, will present Predicting Fertility data challenge (PreFer) that will focus on fertility outcomes – whether people have children – using two unique datasets: the LISS panel, a Dutch longitudinal survey, and Dutch population registry data.

We warmly invite you to attend this online event and learn more about how this data challenge can produce novel and robust insights into an important life outcome and advance fertility research

ABOUT THIS LECTURE

In a data challenge, (teams of) researchers using the same dataset try to best predict a particular outcome. In several fields like computer vision, natural language processing, and healthcare, prediction data challenges led to substantial progress both in model development and problem understanding. However, data challenges and the focus on predictability are still rare in the social sciences. 

In this talk, we present the Predicting Fertility data challenge (PreFer), a collaborative effort between the University of Groningen, ODISSEI, Eyra, and Centerdata, and the first data challenge in demography. Its central goal is to establish the current predictability of fertility outcomes – whether people have children – using two unique datasets: the LISS panel, a Dutch longitudinal survey, and Dutch population registry data. 

We will discuss the design of the data challenge and how this data challenge can produce novel and robust insights into an important life outcome and advance fertility research. The challenge will be open to any interested (team) of researchers and during the talk we will also provide practical details (timeline, data, evaluation, etc.) for those who are interested in joining it.  

If you’d like to learn more about PreFer and to be notified when the registration for the challenge opens, please leave your email address here.

About Gert STULP

Gert Stulp is an associate professor at the department of Sociology at the University of Groningen. He studies causes of the variation in the number of children people have and would like to have, and employs diverse methods in his research including personal network data collection, simulation studies, and machine learning.

ABOUT THE ODISSEI LECTURE SERIES

The ODISSEI Lectures highlight methodological issues and innovations in Social Science.


Photo by Lee Campbell on Unsplash