Individnivået

Individnivået is the level of analysis that focuses on the individual as the unit of observation. In Norwegian and Danish academic usage, individnivået refers to information about persons—their characteristics, behaviours, and outcomes—rather than data summarized at group, organization, or societal level. It is a core concept across fields such as sociology, psychology, public health, education and economics.

Variables at the individnivået include demographic attributes (age, sex, ethnicity), health status and behaviours (smoking, physical activity, diet), psychosocial factors (attitudes, motivation, personality), cognitive abilities, and life experiences. Data are typically gathered through surveys and interviews; clinical and administrative records; experiments; and longitudinal cohort studies, enabling analysis of change over time.

Individnivået is one of several analytical levels. Researchers often situate individual data within broader contextual layers (meso and macro), such as households, workplaces, neighborhoods, organizations, or policy environments. Multilevel or hierarchical models are commonly used to examine how factors at different levels interact. A key caution is the ecological fallacy: patterns observed at the group level may not hold for individuals.

Applications of the individnivået include tailoring health interventions to personal risk profiles, clinical decision-making, and studies of behaviour, learning, and economic decision-making at the person level. Limitations include susceptibility to measurement error, social desirability bias, and limited generalizability across contexts when studies are highly context-specific.