Application for the use of data for scientific
purposes
Completed by the Minstry of Culture
Kultuuriministeerium
Application number 2025005
Data 31.03.2025
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT
Applicant details
Name University, institute or other institution Structural unit and position
Reader in Comparative Ethnic Conflict
Dr Timofey Agarin Queen’s University Belfast School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy
and Politics
Postal address
25 University Sq, Belfast, BT7 1PB Northern Ireland, UK
E-mail Phone
[email protected] +44 7724 533276
Other data users*
Name University, institute or other institution Structural unit and position
Professor,
Prof Ryo Nakai University of Tokyo
Research Center for Advanced Science
and Technology
Postal address
4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904 JAPAN
E-mail Phone
[email protected] (preferred)
[email protected] +81 90-5446-3032
(institutional)
*Include contact information for all data users, if necessary.
Requested research datasets1*
Name of the study or database
Estonian Integration Monitor 2023
The composition of the requested data (e.g. the survey year for which data is requested, list of
questions or list of chapters from the questionnaire, variables or databases).
Blocks 1(background), 2, 4, 7, 11, 12 and 15 (EIM 2023).
1
The Ministry of Culture does not disclose personal data to third parties. The personal data used in the research datasets that are
made available to the applicant have been anonymized in advance.
1 (3)
Purpose of data use
Title of research, study, project or grant name
Exploratory research project: “Understanding the DKNA Responses to Surveys in Divided Societies”
Duration of research, study or project: months or years (e.g. 12/2024–12/2025 or 2025–2026)
2025-26
A brief description of the research, study or project.
Policy making serving people requires knowledge of what people do and don’t want; political entrepreneurs
and political parties thus vie for the attention of and support of the voter. An industry that emerged over the
past decades marshals support for policymakers to gauge public opinions in order to make correct policy
choices on behalf of their voters. Flash surveys, longitudinal studies, opinion and market surveys all provide
a wealth of data about peoples preferences so that their representatives can make sensible decisions on
voters’ behalf: Yet all surveys include an option of “Don’t know” to eliminate inaccurate answers: Scholars
have identified that oftentimes DKNA answers closely relate the (perceived) intent of the survey and
frequently mask the information which is of particular interest to interviewers.
Our research project zooms on DKNA answers as not just a methodological problem, but as an indicator of
dejection from politics in divided societies. Focussing on DKNA answers to attitudinal questions in the
Integration Monitoring 2023 round, cross-segmental survey conducted in Estonia for over 20 years, we revisit
the assumptions of scholarship that respondents ticking the DKNA option are “undecided”. We aim to explore
using the EIM 2023 survey whether the background data to the DKNA response to questions related to the
war in Ukraine offers “hard evidence” to reflect upon past policy choices in ethnically diverse Estonia and
informs future preferences of its voters. Our project invites critical reflection on the impact of survey data-
driven decision making in divided, representative democracies.
Description of the use of the database(s), access rights, storage and destruction conditions.
Both applicants, Dr Agarin and Prof Nakai will maintain a copy of the dataset on their password protected
desktop devices, which can only be accessed personally: all data on Dr Agarin’s computer is stored securely
on the Queen’s University Belfast OneDrive cloud, Tokyo University, home university of Prof Nakai. keeps
their data on-campus, as well as in the proprietary cloud. At no time will neither of the researchers share the
dataset file with anyone else.
The data will be retained in line with the UK regulations applying to Dr Agarin’s institution for 10 years; no
data will be destroyed during this time unless specifically requested by the data provider, the Estonian
Ministry of Culture.
Planned Publications
We anticipate at least one research publication to come as a result of this provisional analysis of the EIM
2023 dataset: the first presentation of this analysis will take place at the end of April 2025 in Cambridge
UK (Conference on the Baltic Studies in Europe); we expect the paper to be submitted to the peer
reviewed journal in European studies (such as Europe Asia Studies, East European Societies, and
similar) by the end of 2025.
In what format should the data be transferred?
Preferred format (e.g. CSV, Excel, SPSS, TXT)
SPSS
*Files are sent as an encrypted email attachment after the application is approved (Estonian ID card required) or
through a secure data exchange environment. If necessary, another method of data transmission can be agreed
upon that complies with the requirements for secure processing of personal data.
Supporting documents and signature submitted with the application. The requested
data may only be used for the purpose specified in the application!
Date
25-3-2025
Applicant name
Dr Timofey Agarin and Prof Dr Ryo NAKAI
2 (3)
If necessary, other relevant documents might be requested. Please include the approvals of the Data
Protection Inspectorate or the Ethics Committee with attachments in the digital envelope.
3 (3)