4
2.3 Questionnaire design
Since 2003, the successive survey rounds incorporated an increasing number of questions. This continued even to the extent that the interview burden and workloads in data processing and analysis overreached the
capacity of fieldworkers, respondents and CSO staff. The need to compress all information requirements into one survey that was conducted at irregular intervals was reduced when the Afghanistan National
Statistical Plan ANSP CSO 2010 was formulated. The ANSP presented a medium-term perspective that anticipated the implementation of NRVA
– now ALCS – as the national multi-purpose survey of Afghanistan on an annual basis.
4
Rather than including all questions and topics every year, the principle of producing information on a rotating basis was introduced. While each survey round should provide a core
set of key indicators, successive rounds could add or expanded different modules to provide more detailed information on specific subjects. In the series of consultations with stakeholders in 2010, agreement was
reached to re-design the NRVA data collection and questionnaires according to this rotation principle. This implied that meeting information needs and survey implementation could be achieved at the same time and
in a more sustainable way. Annex II provides a summary of contents of the successive survey rounds. The core of ALCS 2013-14 is a household questionnaire consisting of 17 subject matter sections, 11
administered by male interviewers and answered by the male household representative usually the head of household, and six asked by female interviewers to female respondents. In addition, the questionnaire
included three modules for identification and monitoring purposes see
Table 2.1
. On average the time required to answer the household questionnaire was one to one-and-a-half hour. In addition to household
information, data were collected at community level through a male Shura questionnaire, addressing the topics presented in
Table 2.2
.
Annex III provides the set of ALCS 2013-14 questionnaires.
Table 2.1: ALCS 2013-14 household questionnaire modules subject matter modules in bold
Male modules Female modules
Household identification
Household income
Household identification Process monitoring
and expenditure Missing household members
Household roster Household shocks and
General living conditions Housing and amenities
coping strategies and household decisions
Livestock Education
Food security Agriculture
Labour Child labour
Household assets Migration
Gender Out migration
Maternal and child health
4
Meanwhile, experience has learned that an annual schedule of ALCS is not feasible, given other data collection activities and limited capacity of CSO.
5
Table 2.2: ALCS 2013-14 male Shura questionnaire modules subject matter modules in bold
Male Shura questionnaire modules Community identification
Process monitoring
Community access and access to facilities Community projects
Community development priorities
2.4 Pilot training and pilot survey