Doing surveys during conflicts; Iraq to Libya

Data from Conflict-Affected Regions: Filling the Blanks

June 9-10, 2011, Brussels

Some Fafo Surveys in Conflict zones

Palestine (living conditions surveys and polls) 1994-2011

Particular post Gaza war 2009

Iraq living conditions survey (ILCS): 2004 Iraq election polls: 2005

Refugees in Northern Uganda: 2005, 2007 Iraqis in Jordan: Their Characteristics and

Number: 2008 Sichuan Earthquake survey: 2008 (2009,2011) WDR ‘Conflict, Security and Development’: 2010

(DRC, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Gaza, West Bank, Colombia)

Challenges when doing surveys in conflict

Methodology - sampling Time Training of local and own staff Cooperation with Statistical offices and

other local partners Logistics and follow-up of quality Highly politically sensitive contexts and

projects

This is politics!!!

Working in a highly politically sensitive context

Many stakeholders; relate to them as early as possible

Governments, factions, interest groups Humanitarians UN (other internationals) Media

Results often have huge impact Might challenge former “truths” “The need for sensation” A difficult context to maneuver

Cooperation with local partners: Statistical offices and others Often a part of the former regime Tension between local partners/areas due

to conflict Need for update and education, training

New methods and approaches Need for new standards New technical equipment New ways of thinking

Work together WITH local partners/stat. office

Close, continuous follow up, include analysis

Presents in the field, logistics and quality checks

Planning, planning, planning Involve local partners Be and stay involved

Build a team Good systems for information flow Real time quality checks The importance of being present in the

field, the supervision of the field organization/project

Include all members of the field organization

Take responsibility

1. Assign listers and mappers to each cluster. 2. Use GOV FAF to assign HH to teams Allocate reserve interviewers

1. Create GOV FAF to each governorate from REG FAF 2. Draw sample Update GOV FAF

2

1

1

To each region:

REG FAF Blank questionnaires

To each governorat:

1. GOV FAF

To each governorat:

GOV FAF with info on selected HH Blank questionnaires

To each supervisor:

TEAM FAF for all households assigned to the team

Blank questionnaires

GOVERNORAT OFFICE

Update GOV FAF Check questionnaires and forms coming from teams

SUPERVISOR

Use TEAM FAF to assign households to interviewers

Fill in HH-information on the cover-page of each questionnaire

Update TEAM FAF Re-interview sample Quest transfer form OK Supervisor field edit

Not OK

BAGHDAD MAIN OFFICE

Generate MAIN FAF and REG FAF Allocate sample Allocate REG FAF

REGION OFFICE

Update REG FAF Check quest and forms coming from governorate CODING

DATA ENTRY

Store question.

Before interview After interview

INTERVIEWER

Conduct interview

Fill in questionnaire

Complete questionnaires included cover page

To each interviewer:

Questionnaires with pre-filled cover-page

Blank questionnaires (extra)

From each interviewer:

Filled-in questionnaires Rejected questionnaires

From each supervisor:

Filled-in questionnaires

Questionnaire transfer form

Updated TEAM FAF

From each governorat:

Filled-in questionnaires and copy of cover page

Updated GOV FAF

From each governorat:

Updated REG FAF

Data files raw data

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

(vi)

(vii) (viii)

(ix)

(x)

(xi)

Corrections General feedback to field teams Revise selected sample Data files to Oslo

Iraq living conditions survey 2004

Finances by UNDP Cooperation with COSIT

Training of staff – new standards Sampling (starting all over again)

Extreme security issues, for staff both from Fafo and from COSIT

The situation escalated rapidly during the fieldwork

After UN-bombing take non-Arabic Fafo staff out

Logistic administration and quality checks had to be done from abroad

Real time quality checks – re-communicated to the field

Very politically tense situation

Iraqis in Jordan 2008 – estimates of number and characteristics

Population of unregistered/illegal Iraqis in Jordan

Difficult sampling and interviewing

Politically sensitive Many actors had stakes in the number

UNHCR Jordanian government US government Humanitarian agencies

Cooperation with the Jordanian statistical office DoS

Agent of the Jordanian government, answers to the ministry