FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the Afrozensus Dashboard (FAQ)

What is the Afrozensus Dashboard?

The Afrozensus Dashboard gives you access to selected, summarised data from the 2020 Afrozensus survey. The data is available in German, English and French. All charts and tables can be downloaded.

With the dashboard, we primarily invite all respondents and interested Black, African and Afrodiasporic people to become researchers themselves. We look forward to you engaging with the report and developing your own new analyses and publications through the dashboard.

Who realised the Afrozensus Dashboard?

The Afrozensus Dashboard was developed and implemented by the Zentrum für Data-driven Empowerment, Leadership und Advocacy (zedela) at the end of 2024: Ilja Sperling (architecture & web development), Lisa Reiber (backend and data engineering), Teresa Bremberger and Daniel Gyamerah (core research team, content/conceptual aspects).

Wasn’t there once an Afrozensus Data Explorer?

Yes, inspired by the European Fundamental Rights Agency’s Data Explorer, Nader Hotait started the Afrozensus Data Explorer in 2020 as a voluntary project idea. Building on this, the ‘Vielfalt entscheidet - Diversity in Leadership’ team of Citizens For Europe gUG developed an Afrozensus Data Explorer. The concept of an explorer was validated in two consultations with community experts in 2022. At the time, the Afrozensus Data Explorer was funded by ‘Demokratie leben!’ and the Federal Agency for Civic Education.

What data is the Afrozensus Dashboard based on?

The data set for the Afrozensus Dashboard is based on the summarised data of 5,793 Black, African and Afrodiasporic respondents who took part in the Afrozensus online survey from June to September 2020. The survey was conducted by Each One Teach One (EOTO) e.V. in cooperation with Citizens For Europe gUG. For further information on the sample, please refer to chapters 3 and 4 of the Afrozensus report.

Where is the Afrozensus Dashboard data located?

The data of the Afrozensus Dashboard is stored on a server of Each One Teach One (EOTO) e. V. in Germany.

What do I have to consider when working and researching with the data of the Afrozensus Dashboard?

With the ethical self-commitment that precedes access to the data, we demand a respectful, anti-discriminatory use of the data - you will also find references to freely available online texts that explain in more detail what this means in practice. In addition, the licence requirements must be observed (see ‘Can I use the graphics in the Afrozensus Dashboard?’).

How is the Afrozensus Dashboard structured?

The structure of the Afrozensus Dashboard is based on the structure of the Afrozensus 2020 survey. In the navigation menu on the left you can choose between the following areas:

• Civic engagement and support abroad
• Experiences of discrimination
• Dealing with discrimination
• Knowledge of rights & trust in institutions
• Political needs for action and demands
• Sociodemographics

In the drop-down list (‘select a question’) in the centre of the page, you can select the question you would like to take a closer look at for each area. All questions can also be crossed with different diversity dimensions, which are displayed in the drop-down list (‘Group by’) next to the questions. If you want to return to the simple display without crossing with a diversity dimension, simply click on the cross in the drop-down list of the diversity dimension.

What analyses can I carry out with the Afrozensus Dashboard?

You can display the simple frequencies for all questions: e.g. How often did respondents state that they experienced anti-Black racism? In addition, you can tick and display all questions with different diversity dimensions. For example, you can cross the question on the experience of anti-Black racism with the diversity dimension on ‘gender identity’. This allows you to analyse the extent to which the experience of anti-Black racism differs between cis-men, cis-women and trans*, inter* and non-binary (TIN*) respondents. At this stage, each question can only be crossed with one diversity dimension at a time.

Which diversity dimensions can be selected?

The questions in the Afrozensus Dashboard can be crossed with 14 different diversity dimensions. For each diversity dimension, you can view the results of one question per group of the diversity dimension. For example, if you select the diversity dimension ‘gender identity’, you can view and compare the results of one question for each group: cis-men, cis-women and TIN* (trans*, inter*, non-binary) respondents. Listed here you can see all diversity dimensions and their groups, which can be selected in the dashboard. For a more detailed description of how the diversity dimensions were constructed, please read chapter 3.3 of the Afrozensus report.

Will all questions of the Afrozensus 2020 survey be displayed in the Afrozensus Dashboard?

No. As part of the data cleansing for the Afrozensus Dashboard, all open and semi-open information was deleted for data protection reasons. This refers, for example, to the question in which participants were able to describe a discrimination situation in an open field. Questions that we as a research team currently consider sensitive for publication because they could potentially jeopardise the principle of non-discrimination or increase the risk of deanonymisation were also removed from the data set. This applies, for example, to demographic information on place of residence, country of origin and family situation. In addition, there are n-thresholds (see “What does it mean when ‘Oops! Unfortunately, this result cannot be displayed because not enough respondents have answered this question or parts of the question. […]’ is displayed instead of a result?”).

What does it mean when ‘Oops! Unfortunately, this result cannot be displayed because not enough respondents have answered this question or parts of the question. […]’ is displayed instead of a result?

In order to guarantee the anonymity of Afrozensus respondents and meaningful scientific representations, we have implemented an n-threshold. This means that for simple representations (i.e. questions without crossing a diversity dimension), no results are displayed if the number of cases is less than 3 (n≤3). If you cross a question with a diversity dimension, the same rule applies and, in addition, no results are displayed for groups of a size below 100 (n≤100). In both cases, the message ‘Oops! Unfortunately, this result cannot be displayed because not enough respondents answered this question or parts of the question. […]’.

Can I use the graphics in the Afrozensus Dashboard?

Yes, under attribution for non-commercial purposes: All graphics are licensed under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 licence. They can also be used freely by the press. If you use the export function ![null][image1] of the Afrozensus Dashboard (below the graphic), the graphic is automatically downloaded with licence and citation. For any other commercial use, please contact EOTO: afrozensus-lizenz@eoto-archiv.de.

Which citation do you recommend?

If you use the export function ![null][image1] of the Afrozensus Dashboard (below the graphic), the graphic is automatically downloaded with licence and citation. Otherwise we recommend the APA citation style for a graphic: Source: Aikins, M.A., Bremberger, T., Aikins, J.K., Gyamerah, D., Yıldırım-Caliman, D. (2021). INSERT TITLE OF GRAPHIC [Database entry]. Retrieved from Afrozensus Dashboard. INSERT GRAPHIC URL in conjunction with the licence attribution: CC-BY-NC 4.0 by CFE & EOTO

What does ‘total respondents’ mean below the questions?

The information ‘total respondents’ below each question indicates the number of cases for the question. In other words, how many respondents from the adjusted Afrozensus data set saw and answered the question. For multiple choice questions, the number of cases refers to the number of respondents who saw the question and gave at least one answer. In the case of matrix questions, a case number is calculated for each sub-question and therefore varies within the question battery. See also ‘Which different question types are shown?’.

What does ‘N/A’ mean for the subgroups of a diversity dimension?

If you display the data broken down by a diversity dimension, you will also see the group labelled ‘N/A’ in addition to the relevant subgroups of the respective diversity dimension. For this group, you will see the results of all respondents who answered the ‘content-related’ question with which the diversity dimension is cross-referenced, but did not provide any information on the relevant diversity dimension itself. For example, you cross-referenced the question on ‘Experiencing anti-Black racism’ with the diversity dimension ‘Gender identity’. For the diversity dimension ‘Gender identity’, you are given the information on ‘Experiencing anti-Black racism’ for the subgroups ‘Cis men’, ‘Cis women’, ‘TIN*’ and ‘N/A’. In the chart/table for the ‘N/A’ group, you can see all the information provided by respondents who answered the question on ‘Experiencing anti-Black racism’ but did not provide any information on the diversity dimension ‘Gender identity’.

Why does the number of cases (total respondents) vary for each question?

Answering the questions in the Afrozensus was voluntary. Not every question was answered by all respondents. There were also numerous filter questions. For example, the question as to whether one was discriminated against on the housing market could only be answered if the respondents had previously stated that they had had contact with the housing market in the last two years. The number of cases (total respondents), i.e. the number of respondents who answered the question, therefore varies for each question.

Which different question types are shown?

Four different question types are visualised in the Afrozensus Dashboard: single-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, matrix questions and numerical questions.

Single-choice questions: Respondents could only select one answer from a range of different answers. For single-choice questions, the number of cases (total respondents) indicates how many respondents saw and answered the question.

Multiple choice questions: Respondents were able to select several answers from a large number of possible answers. For multiple choice questions, the number of cases (total respondents) refers to the number of respondents who saw the question and gave at least one answer.

Matrix questions: Respondents were able to make a selection on a scale for each line of a question battery. In matrix questions, each sub-question (row) has its own number of cases (total respondents). It indicates the number of respondents who made a statement on the scale for a sub-question. Therefore, the n can vary within the question battery per sub-question.

Numerical questions: Respondents could either make an open numerical entry (i.e. enter a number) or select a number from a list of numbers (e.g. for the year of birth). For numerical questions, the number of cases (total respondents) indicates how many respondents have seen and answered the question.

Where can I read the full Afrozensus 2020 report?

You can download the full report with our analyses in German and English free of charge from the Afrozensus website. A summary in German is also available there as a PDF.

I have feedback, how can I contact you?

You are welcome to send us your feedback on the Afrozensus Dashboard to afrozensus@eoto-archiv.de. As we do not have ongoing funding for the project, we cannot guarantee a timely response.