the challenges of quantitative data collection in africa · quantitative data collection in africa...
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credible conversations © Ask Afrika 2012
The challenges of
quantitative data
collection in Africa
Prepared by: Dr Amelia Richards
Date: 8 July 2013
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Points for discussion Culture
Language
Infrastructure
Secondary data for weighting & Lit review
Social Economic variables
Natural calamities
General considerations
Solutions
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Culture
The challenges of quantitative data Collection in Africa
Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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• Most regions of Africa, it is difficult to plan and
conduct fieldwork with uniformity: cultural and
religious beliefs
• Gender specific interviews
• Get permission from head of household/church
leader/leader
• Dress appropriately
• Age: How old are you? – rude/foreign concept
• Many sensitive issues are taboo: Income, HIV,
sexual behaviour etc.
The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Culture
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• Over-claims: new product tests higher levels of
“willingness to use products”
• Why me? Research is a very foreign concept
• Getting people to understand the need for
Research
• “Paper shy”/“Technology Shy”
• “Over-willingness to participate”: incentives
The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Culture (continue)
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Language The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Language
• Translations: Questionnaire length
• Translations: Number of languages needed
• Limited vocabulary: Insurance for example
• Positive versus Negative adjectives
• Scale differences: “I like it, I like it very much
and “I love it”?
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Infrastructure The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Infrastructure
• Poor roads: Impacting on time and costs.
• Travelling: Vast distances to cover to rural
areas
• Public transportation: poor/ unreliable/
dangerous
• Supportive infrastructure: Low telephone
penetration, postal services, etc.
increase costs for back-check .
• Confidentiality of interviews
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Secondary data for
Weighting & Lit review
The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Secondary data for weighting & Lit review
• Lack of a sampling frame
• Difficulty to access census data
• Weighting variables
• Pressure for lower level estimates:
aggregated data to district level
• Literature review
• Weighting
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Socio Economic
Variables
The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Socio Economic Variables
• Difficulties establish standard measures of
social economic standards
• LSMs: There are arguments for and against
the variables used e.g. “vacuum cleaner”
• Income: Money matters are top secret -
Many census bureau’s do not capture
monthly income as a variable owing to high
refusal, inconsistency in data, difficult to
administer
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Natural Calamities The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Natural Calamities
• Torrential rains: cutting off certain districts/areas
• Insecurity in certain regions
• Drought/starvation: Especially affecting the
nomadic tribes, sense of well-being, can you
interview a hungry man on which flavour of juice
he prefers?
• Outbreaks of contagious disease: impacts on
respondents and fieldworkers.
• Tribal tension
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General Considerations The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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Culture The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
General Considerations
• Public strikes
• Power cuts in Africa
• Women & money
• Lack of research expertise and capacity
within local research companies and often
low quality standards in place
• Some of the secondary sources do not
factor in double counts, and this could be a
big factor amongst the “elite banked” who
hold multiple accounts
• Data is not always in the public domain “top
secret”
• Focus is rarely cross- boarder yet a lot of
Africa Countries have regional players
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Solutions The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
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The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Solutions • Be aware of cultural/language differences
• Localise questionnaires / country specific
• Consider infrastructure upfront (costing and
project plan phase)
• Monitor political and social situations closely
• Do not only rely upon government statistics;
NGOs (e.g. IRC) have excellent reports on
social movements and situations
• Contact NGOs who have completed
research in the area. Find out who they
worked with and difficulties involved
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The challenges of quantitative data collection in Africa
Solutions (continue)
• However well you have chosen your
research methodologies and targeted your
respondents, your master plan can collapse
when handed over to the wrong fieldwork
partner - Reliable/Trusted field partner
• Be on the ground
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