Socio-Economic Survey, HSOCIOECOS 2018 - Palestine

Abstract --------------------------- THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE PALESTINIAN CENTRAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) carried out the Socio-Economic Survey 2018. The survey round covered a total sample of about 9926 households. The main objective of collecting data on the socio-economic and its components, including demographic charachteristics, employment, unemployment, is to provide basic information on the size and structure of the Palestinian households, as well as other data on the status of housing and characteristics of individuals, the family and living conditions. The raw survey data provided by the Statistical Agency were cleaned and harmonized by the Economic Research Forum, in the context of a major project that started in 2009. During which extensive efforts have been exerted to acquire, clean, harmonize, preserve and disseminate micro data of existing labor force surveys in several Arab countries. Geographic coverage --------------------------- Covering a representative sample on the region level (West Bank, Gaza Strip), the locality type (urban, rural, camp) and the governorates. Analysis unit --------------------------- 1- Household/family. 2- Individual/person. Universe --------------------------- The survey covered all Palestinian households who are a usual residence of the Palestinian Territory. Kind of data --------------------------- Sample survey data [ssd] Sampling procedure --------------------------- THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE PALESTINIAN CENTRAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS The methodology was designed according to the context of the survey, international standards, data processing requirements and comparability of outputs with other related surveys. ---> Target Population: It consists of all Palestinian households and individuals who habitually reside with their households in Palestine for the reference period of the survey, which is 2018, and there was a focus on individuals of the age group 18 years and over to complete an additional form for individuals in this category. ---> Sampling Frame: The sampling frame consists of a comprehensive sample selected from the Population, Housing and Establishments Census 2007: This comprehensive sample consists of geographical areas with an average of 124 households, and these are considered as enumeration areas used in the census and these units were used as primary sampling units (PSUs). ---> Sampling Size: The estimated sample size is 9926 households in 2018. ---> Sample Design The sample is two stage stratified cluster sample with three stages : First stage: a systematic random sample of 337 enumeration areas for the whole round was selected. Second stage: the same households that were visited in the previous survey session 2015, which are about 25 households from each enumeration area were visited in 2018. Households that changed their place of residence and address available in the previous database to another place to complete the questionnaire are tracked. Individuals from the previous session who were separated from their household and formed new households or joined new households. Third stage: a male or female individual was selected from all sample families (old and new) in the second stage of individuals 18 years and over using check tables to complete the form for individuals 18 years and over (quality of life model). Taking into account that the household whose number is even in the enumeration area sample, we choose a female from it, and the household whose number is odd, from which we choose a male. ---> Sample strata: The population was divided by: 1. The governorate (16 governorates in the West Bank, including Jerusalem J1 governorate, which the Israeli occupation annexed to it by force after its occupation of the West Bank in 1967 as Tabqa and the Gaza Strip). 2. Type of settlement (urban, rural, camp). 3. Area C (class C, non-C) as an implicit class. Mode of data collection --------------------------- Face-to-face [f2f] Research instrument --------------------------- The questionnaire is the key tool for data collection. It must be conforming to the technical characteristics of fieldwork to allow for data processing and analysis. The survey questionnaire comprised the following parts: - Part one: Identification data. - Part two: Quality control - Part three: Data of households’ members and social data. - Part four: Housing unit data - Part five: Assistance and Coping Strategies Information - Part six: Expenditure and Consumption - Part seven: Food Variation and Facing Food Shortage - Part eight: Income - Part nine: Agricultural and economic activities. - Part ten: Freedom of mobility - In addition to a questionnaire for individuals (18 years old and above): Questions on suffering and life quality, assessment of health, education, administration (Ministry of the Interior) services and information technology. Cleaning operations --------------------------- ---> Raw Data PCBS started collecting data since 27/8/2018 using the hand held devices in Palestine excluding Jerusalem in side boarders (J1) and Gaza Strip, the program used in HHD called Sql Server and Microsoft. Net which was developed by General Directorate of Information Systems. Using HHD reduced the data processing stages, the fieldworkers collect data and sending data directly to server then the project manager can withdrawal the data at any time he needs. In order to work in parallel with Gaza Strip and Jerusalem in side boarders (J1), an office program was developed using the same techniques by using the same database for the HHD. ---> Harmonized Data - The SPSS package is used to clean and harmonize the datasets. - The harmonization process starts with a cleaning process for all raw data files received from the Statistical Agency. - All cleaned data files are then merged to produce one data file on the individual level containing all variables subject to harmonization. - A country-specific program is generated for each dataset to generate/ compute/ recode/ rename/ format/ label harmonized variables. - A post-harmonization cleaning process is then conducted on the data. - Harmonized data is saved on the household as well as the individual level, in SPSS and then converted to STATA, to be disseminated. Response rate --------------------------- The survey sample consists of about 11,008 households of which 9,926 households completed the interview; whereas 5,898 households from the West Bank and 4,028 households in Gaza Strip. Weights were modified to account for non-response rate. The response rate in Palestine reached 90.2%. Sampling error estimates --------------------------- ---> Sampling Errors Those errors result from studying part (sample) of the society and not all society units. Since the socio-economic conditions survey 2018 was conducted on a sample, sampling errors are expected to occur. To minimize sampling errors, a properly designed probability sample was used to calculate errors throughout the process. This means that for every unit of the society there is a probability to be selected in the sample. The variance was calculated to measure the impact on sample design for Palestine. ---> Non-Sampling Errors Non-Sampling errors are possible at all stages of the project, during data collection or processing. Those are referred to as non-response errors, response errors, interviewing errors and data entry errors. To avoid errors and reduce their effects, strenuous efforts were made to train the fieldworkers intensively. They were trained on how to carry out the interview, what to discuss and what to avoid, as well as practical and theoretical training during the training course. Non-sampling errors in the survey resulted from the private data it collected and that some households considered this as interference in the very details of their private life. They refused to cooperate with data. Several methods were used to convince households provide answers and minimize non-response. Data appraisal --------------------------- Concept of data quality covers many aspects, starting from the initial planning of the survey to the dissemination of the results and how well users understand and use the data. There are seven dimensions of the statistical quality: relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, comparability, coherence, and completeness.