Accurate and timely data collection is an essential part of

Data collection in the Sahel can help international and humanitarian organizations understand the repercussions of climate or political changes in the region and mitigate the impact on the people of the Sahel. Additionally, access to accurate on-the-ground data is a proven part of early warning systems. GeoPoll has extensive experience conducting research in vulnerable areas through mobile-based methodologies, and below we review the challenges and opportunities for conducting research in the Sahel.  

The need for accurate data collection in the Sahel

Accurate data collection is an essential part of monitoring and predicting problems as well as providing quick and targeted aid. Families in the Sahel are vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition, worsened by the region’s history of droughts and climate change. USAID, in collaboration with Save the Children, has demonstrated the value of a data-based early warning system in the Sahel. Since 2013, these organizations have been conducting a Household Economy Analysis (HEA) on food security. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal have all used the data to help crisis or conflict-affected families. In 2015, HEA data allowed more than 14.8 million people to be provided with support like seasonal safety nets or livelihoods, demonstrating how data collection in the Sahel can build resilience within the region. 

Challenges of data collection in the Sahel

While conducting research in the Sahel is essential, it can be challenging because of the infrastructure, conflict, and cultural context. Some  challenges of conducting research in Africa and specifically the Sahel include: 

• Infrastructure: The Sahel has infrastructure challenges such as unmapped areas, inadequate roads, unreliable energy services or lack of access to clean water that can make data collection in the Sahel a challenge. Face-to-face research is particularly affected by infrastructure, which is why GeoPoll often uses alternative methodologies to reach respondents. 
• Violence and Conflict: Some countries in the Sahel experience conflict, social disruption, or are vulnerable to violent extremism and terrorist attacks. This not only makes fact-to-face research dangerous, but disrupts the lives, internet access, and location of populations. 
• Number of languages and Cultural Context: Because the Sahel spans ten different countries, this region requires specialized experience with language and understanding of each local culture. GeoPoll’s voice call interviewers are carefully selected for their geographic location, language skills, and local knowledge.
• Low Population Concentration: Many areas in the Sahel have very low population density – the desert areas of Mali and Niger, for example, experience populations of just 20 people per square meter. In addition to the infrastructure challenges mentioned above, this contributes to the difficulty of conducting in-person research efficiently.

How to conduct CATI research in the Sahel

Collecting data in the Sahel can be challenging, but GeoPoll has had success with using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) research method for remote data collection in multiple locations. GeoPoll has extensive experience launching CATI centers and quickly training interviewers who represent a variety of backgrounds and languages.

We currently operate call centers throughout Africa, including those in the Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. Additional call centers are located in Botswana, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya (from which we conduct interviews in Somalia), Liberia, Namibia, and South Africa. By using CATI, GeoPoll has been able to overcome the challenges of collecting data in areas where displacement and conflict are common, and infrastructure and other factors prohibit in-person research.    

Benefits of Conducting CATI Research with GeoPoll

GeoPoll can recruit interviewers and launch call centers in just weeks. Our proprietary CATI application allows us to manage the survey process from end-to-end, with features including: 

• Full control over question scripting, including multiple logic questions, skip logic, and randomization that allows for complex and customized surveys
• Questions displayed via a simple interface that streamlines the survey process. 
• Secure data storage and offline capabilities
• Immediate access to results
• Survey progress tracked in real time to ensure high-quality data 

GeoPoll is currently collecting data in the Sahel region and can set up any research project quickly. Contact us to request more information on our capabilities in the Sahel. 

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The proliferation of mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa opens up new possibilities for data collection. Businesses and the international development community can now collect data via short message service (SMS), interactive voice response (IVR), surveys with a live interviewer (also known as computer-assisted telephone interviewing, or CATI), and through the use of a mobile application. Collecting data via mobile phones also allows for the collection of longitudinal data – meaning data from the same person over a set amount of time. Unlike conducting panel surveys face-to-face, which is still cost prohibitive for most projects, mobile research reduces this cost whilst still providing quality insights as and when they are needed for quick decision making.

The development of Africa as a mobile-first continent has led to great interest in collecting panel data using mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa. Although research agencies that previously fully relied on traditional data collection methods are now warming up to the idea of using mobile in research, there is still some uncertainty regarding their use in surveys either for qualitative or quantitative research.

As the leading mobile surveying platform, conducting over 7 million surveys per year through the mobile phone, we have encountered and answered numerous questions in various forums and meetings regarding mobile research. In this article, we pick some of the most frequently posed ones and provide answers based on our policies and industry best practices which we have adopted into our operations.

What is mobile sampling?

Access to mobile phones is becoming more widespread across all parts of the globe, and research agencies like GeoPoll are leverage the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones to recruit survey respondents who form a sample.
A sample is a representative number or an entire population. Sampling is the science of using a subset of a population in order to make observations of a larger population.

What is a mobile research panel?

This is a group of respondents recruited via a mobile phone to take part in a number of market research sessions over a period of time in order to collect longitudinal data. This data helps to paint a dynamic picture of people’s economic livelihoods and social well-being – supporting program design, implementation, and evaluation. In contrast, single cross-sectional surveys or repeated cross-sections cannot prospectively show how circumstances in people’s lives change over a time period.

How are active panels of respondents recruited via mobile?

A respondent panel can be built through multiple methods including partnerships with Mobile Network Operators, random digit dialing, and both online and face-to-face recruitment. GeoPoll incrementally invites all mobile phone numbers in a country to complete the GeoPoll registration survey and be eligible for future surveys. GeoPoll then builds an active panel consisting of respondents who have taken a GeoPoll survey in the past and who GeoPoll is able to target by demographics including age, gender, and location.

Are panelists recruited via mobile nationally representative?

Access to mobile phones is becoming more widespread across all parts of the globe, however, the mobile population does not always perfectly match the national population. To account for this, at GeoPoll, we compare the demographic distribution of mobile survey respondents to the most recent census population estimates by age, gender, and the first administrative political geographic boundaries in order to ensure that the surveys are as representative as possible of sampled populations. In addition, GeoPoll regularly recruits respondents to widen our demographic reach and can support face-to-face interviews to reach non-mobile populations.

What is the optimal number of questions in a mobile survey?

In our experience, mobile respondents are often likely to drop out of a survey. Not all mobile respondents complete a survey they have been served. To help reduce the drop-off rate it is important to have an optimal number of questions that ensure that respondents don’t get fatigued. A standard 10- 15 question mobile survey sent either via SMS, mobile web or via a mobile application is the optimal number to ensure a high response rate.

What is the normal response rate for mobile surveys?

As seen in the US for mobile surveys, the response rates for new respondents can be often around 10% or less. The response rates will vary by survey mode, by country, and by project so this can be discussed further with your research agency project team since they are fully responsible for ensuring the highest possible completion rate. Additional research by Lau et. al. 2018 indicate that higher or lower response rates do not necessarily dictate a more ‘valid’ survey when looking at mobile surveys in emerging markets.
For GeoPoll panelists who have completed at least one survey with GeoPoll before, the response rates can be as high at 80%, for example with a daily panel.

Do mobile surveys require smartphones?

Not all of them, there are mobile surveys that can be sent to respondents on their feature phones via SMS or via call. Based on our experience in emerging markets, one is more likely to have a more nationally representative sample when mobile surveys are sent via SMS. This is due to the high penetration rate of feature phones compared to a smartphone or other internet-enabled mobile devices. GeoPoll surveys can be taken on any handset, including basic feature phones, and do not require access to the internet.

How can data security be assured and data privacy be protected when utilizing mobile devices?

Data privacy has become of great concern in recent months following the Cambridge Analytica scandal among other recent events.  As market researchers continue to leverage the new capabilities that modern communication technology brings, concerns arise on how we can safeguard the privacy of our respondents as an industry.

This access to personal data by market research agencies is why it’s so critical that market research industry associations like ESOMAR continue to distinguish market research practices from platform practices. The market research industry, including companies like GeoPoll, abide by a set of ethics in the management of personal information. Not marketing or trying to sell services to survey respondents is critical for ongoing trust and honesty in market research.

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Together, GeoPoll and Control Union will utilize mobile surveys to engage and educate smallholder farmers in emerging economies in Africa and Asia, with the goal of reaching 1 million farmers by 2020 via SMS and voice messaging.  The partnership will allow commercial organizations such as global brands, exporters, and suppliers, as well as governments and non-profits to ensure social compliance in key value chains and to empower farmers to gain greater access to markets, ultimately adding value for both farmers and consumers.  

Together GeoPoll and Control Union will launch several mobile products aimed at non-profits, commercial organizations, exporters and suppliers:

• Certification Surveys: Mobile survey instruments which will monitor farmers’ compliance with programs such as Global GAP and Organic certifications.
• Value Chain Monitoring: Mobile survey instruments that will serve as a tool for sustainable value chain design and monitor social, economic and ecological impact.
• Compliance Messages: One-way push content messages promoting agricultural compliance. 
• Custom Surveys: Mobile survey instruments with customized questions and design, allowing clients to collect mobile data which will inform and enhance their operations in local markets. 

The partnership will initially focus on countries in Africa including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, expanding to key markets in Asia including Indonesia and the Philippines.  With consumers demanding increased transparency, target value chains include coffee, cocoa, cotton, palm oil, rice, tea, tobacco, and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Read the full press release here, and click below to contact GeoPoll for more information about our services: 

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The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recognizes this problem, and their Development Credit Authority (DCA) helps fill this financing gap in emerging markets by taking on some of the banks’ risk and by partially guaranteeing loans for borrowers.  Since its creation in 1999, DCA has made $3.1 billion dollars of credit available to borrowers across 71 countries, and has only seen a 1.85% default rate on these guaranteed loans.  Many borrowers who banks previously classified as unqualified for a loan have gone on to get larger loans without USAID’s guarantee, and seeing the success of USAID guaranteed borrowers and industries makes banks more likely to make similar loans to those not partnered with USAID.

To identify those in need of loans and the reasons that borrowers may be apprehensive about requesting loans, USAID DCA conducts research in the regions they work in. But, as with many other industries, face-to-face surveys can be slow and costly, so DCA recently partnered with GeoPoll to conduct surveys through text message in Nigeria. Over two days in May 2014, the DCA worked with GeoPoll to administer more than 750 mobile phone surveys across 15 targeted states in Nigeria to ask agriculture- related businesses about access to finance. Participants were screened to identify those who worked in agriculture and had the authority to take out a loan for their work, which allowed DCA to gather information from a very specific group of respondents.

The study found a major gap in local financing available for these businesses.  In particular, while 75% indicated that they would like to take out a loan in the next five years, only 25% have tried.  Most of these business are newer and 40% are seeking 100,000 NGN (~$620 USD) or less, but are deterred by high collateral requirements and not knowing how to contact loan officers.

With this knowledge, USAID can more strategically and confidently invest in the agriculture sector responsible for feeding 170 million Nigerians, or nearly 20% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa. The below infographic has more facts and figures on the findings from this survey.

For more information on our on-going collaboration with USAID/DCA see our full case study, and stay tuned for future posts about other upcoming mobile surveys in areas of monitoring and evaluation with USAID/DCA.

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