The Integrated Household Survey is one of the primary instruments implemented by the Government of Malawi through the National Statistical Office (NSO) roughly every 5 years to monitor and evaluate the changing conditions of Malawian households. The IHS data have, among other insights, provided benchmark poverty and vulnerability indicators to foster evidence-based policy formulation and monitor the progress of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the goals listed as part of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

Abstract

The Integrated Household Survey is one of the primary instruments implemented by the Government of Malawi through the National Statistical Office (NSO) roughly every 5 years to monitor and evaluate the changing conditions of Malawian households. The IHS data have, among other insights, provided benchmark poverty and vulnerability indicators to foster evidence-based policy formulation and monitor the progress of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the goals listed as part of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Individuals
• Children under 5 years
• Consumption expenditure commodities/items
• Communities
• Agricultural household/ Holder/ Crop

Universe

Members of the following households are not eligible for inclusion in the survey: • All people who live outside the selected EAs, whether in urban or rural areas. • All residents of dwellings other than private dwellings, such as prisons, hospitals and army barracks. • Members of the Malawian armed forces who reside within a military base. (If such individuals reside in private dwellings off the base, however, they should be included among the households eligible for random selection for the survey.) • Non-Malawian diplomats, diplomatic staff, and members of their households. (However, note that non-Malawian residents who are not diplomats or diplomatic staff and are resident in private dwellings are eligible for inclusion in the survey. The survey is not restricted to Malawian citizens alone.) • Non-Malawian tourists and others on vacation in Malawi.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The IHS3 sampling frame is based on the listing information and cartography from the 2008 Malawi Population and Housing Census (PHC); includes the three major regions of Malawi, namely North, Center and South; and is stratified into rural and urban strata. The urban strata include the four major urban areas: Lilongwe City, Blantyre City, Mzuzu City, and the Municipality of Zomba. All other areas are considered as rural areas, and each of the 27 districts were considered as a separate sub-stratum as part of the main rural stratum. It was decided to exclude the island district of Likoma from the IHS3 sampling frame, since it only represents about 0.1% of the population of Malawi, and the corresponding cost of enumeration would be relatively high. The sampling frame further excludes the population living in institutions, such as hospitals, prisons and military barracks. Hence, the IHS3 strata are composed of 31 districts in Malawi.

A stratified two-stage sample design was used for the IHS3.

Note: Detailed sample design information is presented in the "Third Integrated Household Survey 2010-2011, Basic Information Document" document.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey was collectd using four questionnaires: 1) Household Questionnaire 2) Agriculture Questionnaire 3) Fishery Questionnaire 4) Community Questionnaire

Cleaning operations

Data Entry Clerks Each IHS3 field team was assigned 1 data entry clerk to process completed questionnaires at the teams field based residence. Each data entry clerk was issued a laptop with the CSPro based data entry application, a printer to produce error reports on entered questionnaire, and flash disks for transferring files. The field based data entry clerk's primary responsibilities included: (1) receiving the completed questionnaires following the field supervisor's initial screening, (2) organizing and entering completed questionnaire in a timely manner, (3) generating and printing error reports for supervisor review, (4) modifying data after errors were resolved and authorized by the field supervisor, and (5) managing data files and local data back-ups. The data entry clerk was responsible for beginning initial data entry upon receipt of questionnaires from the field and generating error reports as quickly as possible after interviews were complete in the EA. When long distance travel to an enumeration area by the field team was required and the field team was required to spend multiple days away from their field residence the data entry clerk was required to travel with the team in order to maintain data processing schedules.

Field Based Data Entry and CAFE To better facilitate higher quality data and increase timely availability of data during the data capture process IHS3 utilized computer assisted field entry (CAFE). First data entry was conducted by field based data entry clerks immediately following completion of the team's daily field activities. Each team was equipped with 1 laptop computer for field based data entry using a CSPro-based application. The range and consistency checks built into the CSPro application was informed by the LSMS-ISA experience in Tanzania and Uganda, and the review of the IHS2 data. Prior programming of the data entry application allowed for a wide variety of range and consistency checks to be conducted and reported and potential issues investigated and corrected before closing the assigned enumeration area. Completed data was frequently relayed to the NSO central office in Zomba via email and tracked and processed upon receipt.

Double Data Entry Double data entry was implemented by a team of data entry clerks based at the NSO central office. Electronic data and questionnaires received from the field were cataloged by the Data Manager and electronic data loaded onto a central server to enable data entry verification on networked computers. To increase quality, the Data Entry Manager monitored the data verification staff and conducted quality assessments by randomly selecting processed questionnaires and comparing physical questionnaires to the result of double data entry. Data verification clerks were coached on inconsistencies when required.

Data Cleaning The data cleaning process was done in several stages over the course of field work and through preliminary analysis. The first stage of data cleaning was conducted in the field by the field based field teams utilizing error reports produced by the data entry applications. Field supervisors collected reports for each enumeration area and household and in coordination with the enumerators reviewed, investigated, and collected errors. Due to the quick turn-around in error reporting, it was possible to conduct call backs while the team was still operating in the enumeration area when required. Corrections to the data were entered by the field based data entry clerk before transmitting data to the NSO central office.

Upon receipt of the data from the field, module and cross module checks were performed using Stata to identify systematic issues and, where applicable, field teams were asked to investigate, revise and resend data for questionnaires still in their possession. Revised data files were cataloged and then replaced previous version of the data.

After data verification by the headquarters' double data entry team, data from the first data entry and second data entry were compared. Cases that revealed large inconsistencies between the first and second data entry, specifically large amounts of missing case level data in the second data entry relative to the first data entry were completely reentered. Further, variable specific inconsistency reports were generated and investigated and corrected by the double data entry team. Additional cleaning was performed after the double data entry team cleaning activities where appropriate to resolve systematic errors and organize data modules for consistency and efficient use. Case by case cleaning was also performed during the preliminary analysis specifically pertaining to out of range and outlier variables.

All cleaning activities were conducted in collaboration with the WB staff providing technical assistance to the NSO in the design and implementation of the IHS3.

Abstract

The Integrated Household Survey is one of the primary instruments implemented by the Government of Malawi through the National Statistical Office (NSO) roughly every 5 years to monitor and evaluate the changing conditions of Malawian households. The IHS data have, among other insights, provided benchmark poverty and vulnerability indicators to foster evidence-based policy formulation and monitor the progress of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the goals listed as part of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

Members of the following households are not eligible for inclusion in the survey: - All people who live outside the selected EAs, whether in urban or rural areas. - All residents of dwellings other than private dwellings, such as prisons, hospitals and army barracks. - Members of the Malawian armed forces who reside within a military base. (If such individuals reside in private dwellings off the base, however, they should be included among the households eligible for random selection for the survey.) - Non-Malawian diplomats, diplomatic staff, and members of their households. (However, note that non-Malawian residents who are not diplomats or diplomatic staff and are resident in private dwellings are eligible for inclusion in the survey. The survey is not restricted to Malawian citizens alone.) - Non-Malawian tourists and others on vacation in Malawi.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The IHS3 sampling frame is based on the listing information and cartography from the 2008 Malawi Population and Housing Census (PHC); includes the three major regions of Malawi, namely North, Center and South; and is stratified into rural and urban strata. The urban strata include the four major urban areas: Lilongwe City, Blantyre City, Mzuzu City, and the Municipality of Zomba. All other areas are considered as rural areas, and each of the 27 districts were considered as a separate sub-stratum as part of the main rural stratum. It was decided to exclude the island district of Likoma from the IHS3 sampling frame, since it only represents about 0.1% of the population of Malawi, and the corresponding cost of enumeration would be relatively high. The sampling frame further excludes the population living in institutions, such as hospitals, prisons and military barracks. Hence, the IHS3 strata are composed of 31 districts in Malawi. A stratified two-stage sample design was used for the IHS3. Note: Detailed sample design information is presented in the "Third Integrated Household Survey 2010-2011, Basic Information Document" document.

Sampling deviation

The total sample size for the IHS3 was 12,288 households sampled from a total of 768 EAs. At the end of the survey, a total of 12,271 households were interviewed. Of the 12,271 interviewed households, 688 were replacements (6 percent)

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Cleaning operations

Data Entry:

Data Entry Clerks Each IHS3 field team was assigned 1 data entry clerk to process completed questionnaires at the team's field based residence. Each data entry clerk was issued a laptop with the CSPro based data entry application, a printer to produce error reports on entered questionnaire, and flash disks for transferring files. The field based data entry clerk's primary responsibilities included: (1) receiving the completed questionnaires following the field supervisor's initial screening (2) organizing and entering completed questionnaire in a timely manner (3) generating and printing error reports for supervisor review (4) modifying data after errors were resolved and authorized by the field supervisor (5) managing data files and local data back-ups

The data entry clerk was responsible for beginning initial data entry upon receipt of questionnaires from the field and generating error reports as quickly as possible after interviews were complete in the EA. When long distance travel to an enumeration area by the field team was required and the field team was required to spend multiple days away from their field residence the data entry clerk was required to travel with the team in order to maintain data processing schedules. Field Based Data Entry and CAFE To better facilitate higher quality data and increase timely availability of data during the data capture process IHS3 utilized computer assisted field entry (CAFE). First data entry was conducted by field based data entry clerks immediately following completion of the team's daily field activities. Each team was equipped with 1 laptop computer for field based data entry using a CSPro-based application. The range and consistency checks built into the CSPro application was informed by the LSMS-ISA experience in Tanzania and Uganda, and the review of the IHS2 data. Prior programming of the data entry application allowed for a wide variety of range and consistency checks to be conducted and reported and potential issues investigated and corrected before closing the assigned enumeration area. Completed data was frequently relayed to the NSO central office in Zomba via email and tracked and processed upon receipt. Double Data Entry Double data entry was implemented by a team of data entry clerks based at the NSO central office. Electronic data and questionnaires received from the field were catalogued by the Data Manager and electronic data loaded onto a central server to enable data entry verification on networked computers.

Quality Checks:

To increase quality, the Data Entry Manager monitored the data verification staff and conducted quality assessments by randomly selecting processed questionnaires and comparing physical questionnaires to the result of double data entry. Data verification clerks were coached on inconsistencies when required. Data Cleaning The data cleaning process was done in several stages over the course of field work and through preliminary analysis. The first stage of data cleaning was conducted in the field by the field based field teams utilizing error reports produced by the data entry applications. Field supervisors collected reports for each enumeration area and household and in coordination with the enumerators reviewed, investigated, and collected errors. Due to the quick turn-around in error reporting, it was possible to conduct call backs while the team was still operating in the enumeration area when required. Corrections to the data were entered by the field based data entry clerk before transmitting data to the NSO central office. Upon receipt of the data from the field, module and cross module checks were performed using Stata to identify systematic issues and, where applicable, field teams were asked to investigate, revise and resend data for questionnaires still in their possession. Revised data files were catalogued and then replaced previous version of the data. After data verification by the headquarters' double data entry team, data from the first data entry and second data entry were compared. Cases that revealed large inconsistencies between the first and second data entry, specifically large amounts of missing case level data in the second data entry relative to the first data entry were completely re-entered. Further, variable specific inconsistency reports were generated and investigated and corrected by the double data entry team. Additional cleaning was performed after the double data entry team cleaning activities where appropriate to resolve systematic errors and organize data modules for consistency and efficient use. Case by case cleaning was also performed during the preliminary analysis specifically pertaining to out of range and outlier variables. All cleaning activities were conducted in collaboration with the WB staff providing technical assistance to the NSO in the design and implementation of the IHS3.

Response rate

99.9 percent