CHALLENGES OF SURVEYING DISPLACED POPULATIONSShannon Doocy, PhD

CE-DAT Conflict Data Workshop, June 9-10 2011

Center for Refugee and Disaster Response

The Populations

Refugees Urban population

Primarily integrated in capital cities

Highly educated and literate population

Political concerns related to host country governments

Internally displaced Semi-nomadic herding

population Small remote

settlements Low levels of education

and literacy Political concerns

driven by ongoing conflict

Iraqis in Jordan and Syria The Beja of East Sudan

The Geography

Amman, Jordan The Desert of East Sudan

Planning a Representative Sample

Planning a Representative Sample A representative sample is essential for

valid and credible survey results To plan a representative sample,

information on population size and location is necessary Not available in most conflict settings Ongoing conflict and population movement

can be difficult to account for Data that is accessible may be inaccurate

due to poor data collection methodologies or political motivations

Iraqi Refugees in Jordan & Syria

Sufficient data on population location not available Accessible data has

constraints Locating Iraqi

households that are integrated among urban host country populations

Stratified sample design

Neighborhood weighting scheme developed for cluster assignment

Small clusters with random start points and with-in cluster referral

The Challenges The Solutions

The Beja of Eastern Sudan

Disparate population estimates 68K-133K,

differing community sizes

No maps or roads Security: cannot

safely reach some locations

Triangulation of available data

Key informants Community size

and location Replacement

sampling of nearby communities

The Challenges The Solutions

Data Collection Issues

Data Collection Issues

Unique challenges in every context May influence:

Methodologies that can be used Scope of information that can be collected Data collection approaches—interviewers,

translation, survey content, recall period Important to consider how issues faced

can affect survey data and outcomes Introduction of bias and non-random error Implications for study findings, validity

Iraqi Refugees in Jordan & Syria

Involvement of a wide variety of groups in questionnaire development

Interviewer choice restricted

In Syria, interviewer oversight was limited as a result of security concerns

In Jordan, data management was shared with statistics bureau

Phrasing of some questions/response options not ideal

Differing comfort levels among respondents may influence results/responses

Poor data quality Risk of manipulating

results?

The Challenges Potential Implications

The Beja of Eastern Sudan

Cultural context: female interviewers needed

Female respondents don’t speak a written language

Only bridge between oral Beja language and Arabic is male comm. members

No western calendar Local calendar difficult to

establish

Use of multiple and oral translations Data quality concerns Time constraints =

need for shortened survey

Confidentiality Difficult to establish

recall period Accurate mortality rate?

The Challenges Potential Implications

Security and Political Considerations

Security

Police states with active surveillance

Risks to study team Arrest Implications for

collaborating partners Risks to participants

Survey conduct in SPLA controlled areas Escort required Tensions, reports of

active fighting Roads are dirt

tracks, demining not complete

Jordan & Syria Sudan

Political Considerations

Approval of host governments Jordan: Difficult Syria: Impossible

In Jordan, lack of independence Methodological

constraints and limitations on sharing findings

Population size

National government is unaware of survey

Possible SPLA motivations to exaggerate populations size, status

Implications of study results and foreign assistance for local population and context

Jordan & Syria Sudan

Key Challenges of Surveying Displaced Populations: Some Concluding Thoughts

Planning and implementing a representative sample Is it always possible and/or perceived as

credible? Data collection challenges

Bias, cultural/contextual differences, threats to validity

Security—often a concern Considerations for both the surveyors and

respondents Political considerations—a unique

challenge in every context!

Thank You!

Shannon Doocysdoocy@jhsph.edu