Keynote presentation for Pew Research Center's Methodological Workshop on Public Opinion Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

1. Nokia Internal Use Only
Dixie Avugwi, Director of Research

2. Nokia Internal Use OnlyNokia Internal Use Only
METHODOLOGY WORKSHOP
November 30th, 2017
Key Methodological Challenges in Africa

3. Nokia Internal Use Only
SAMPLING
Key Methodological Challenges in Africa

4. Nokia Internal Use Only
SAMPLING CHALLENGES
• Drawing a true random representative sample
• Census data at times not detailed enough – smallest
sampling unit
• Latest/recent census data at times not available
• When a Sampling Frame is provide by the Country
Statistics Body [KNBS]
• Not updated; a listing exercise is required
• The frame is often overused:
• Everyone uses the same frame
• Meet other teams within the same sampling points
• Over-researched respondents - bias [expert
respondents]
• House/structure numbers sampled not easy to locate:
• Get erased hence rely on a local guide who may not be
doing the correct thing
• Tedious bureaucracy – timelines
• Expensive

5. Nokia Internal Use Only
Census Cartographic Mapping, which is a process of dividing the
whole country into smaller units called enumeration areas

6. Nokia Internal Use Only
SAMPLING CHALLENGES
• Using the random route technique:
• Infrastructure design challenge
• Streets not labeled
• Streets not there – Rural
• Houses not numbered
• Selecting starting points – landmarks
• Selecting direction from starting point
• Longitudinal studies challenge
• Locating respondents previously surveyed – physical
address
• Locating respondents previously surveyed – using
telephone contacts
• What has helped track respondents:
• CAPI
• GPS
• Regular follow up of respondents over phone where
possible (stay in touch)

7. Nokia Internal Use Only
Informal settlements with temporary structures pose sampling
challenges

8. Nokia Internal Use Only
Kenya is largely a rural country and the under developed
infrastructure also poses sampling challenges – no labeled streets /
roads, difficulty in findings reliable landmarks, etc.

9. Nokia Internal Use Only
LANGUAGE
Key Methodological Challenges in Africa

10. Nokia Internal Use Only
LANGUAGE CHALLENGES
• Large number of ethnic groups that require translations
• Some oral languages for which written translation is not
possible
• Lose ‘pure’ respondents
• Respondents who cannot speak the translated languages may
have to be replaced with those who can thus biasing the
research
• Simultaneous translations – cannot guarantee standard
• Changes meaning of questions
• Translators start answering the questions posed on behalf
of the respondent instead of strictly translating
• Innovations to address oral languages challenge:
• Standardize simultaneous translations
• Enumerators who speak the language go through the
questionnaire together and agree how each question
translates into the given oral language

11. Nokia Internal Use Only
42 Ethnic Groups = 1 Nation

12. Nokia Internal Use Only
The Maasai well-known globally are actually a minority ethnic group
in Kenya making up one of the 42 ethnic tribes

13. Nokia Internal Use Only
Methodological Research for the Public Good

14. Nokia Internal Use Only
METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH
• Census data
• Access of census data for sampling – to smallest unit
• Statistics Office sampling frame: accessible to public and
affordable
• Categorization/ classification of population [SEC/LSM]
• Need a system to update criteria
• An index to be used to measure – checking out some things
Benchmarks

15. Nokia Internal Use Only
Going the extra mile.