Final Implementation Report
Grant 2008, Agreement No: 11002.2008.003 – 2008.215
„Translating and Testing Victimization Survey“
SLOVAKIA
Content:
Introduction
- Main aspects of the pilot data collection
- Time chart grant tasks fulfilment
- Conclusion and recommendations for regular survey realization
Conclusion
Introduction
The main aims of the project were translating and testing of presented household questionnaire. At the same time methodological task was to be created for systematic data collection in future.
1.Main aspects of the pilot data collection
This action was realized by pilot data collection over the sample of 200 respondents (individuals) aged 18+. The Victimisation survey was conducted as a new survey. Data from other sources was not used.
The pilot data survey was carried out independently from other data collections. Questionnaire was prepared by the group of experts participating in the AES and pilot EHIS surveys. Primary mode of data collection in the pilot survey was conventional face-to-face interview.
The target population was individuals aged 18+. The sample was created as a stratified quota sample covering whole population. Target sample size and final sample size was 200 respondents.
The fieldwork was realized by Regional Offices of the Statistical Office of the SlovakRepublic. Interviewers have been contracted by these regional offices from the group of external interviewers cooperating with the regional office. These interviewers were enough experienced in this type of work.
All interviewers have been trained. Training of interviewers was carried in all Regional Offices; in Bratislava region and Trnava region this training was jointed. Training was guided by project leader. For the training were prepared these materials:
- Questionnaire
- Manual for interviewer
- Other supporting documents.
Interviewers were coordinated on the regional level by regional project managers.
Respondents were visited usually with phone initial contacts. Duration of the whole interview was recorded for each questionnaire.
Editors in the regional offices recorded data from completed questionnaires to the specially prepared excel sheet. Selected checking rules were included (programmed) into this sheet
Specific techniques were not used for the control of interviewers. Outputs were controlled of their fieldwork through quality of completed questionnaires, missing answers, reports of interviewers. Payment of interviewer has been derived from the completed questionnaires. 200 completed questionnaires were obtained in accordance with the grant conditions.
Since sampling procedure was stratified quota sampling, the substitution is not important from the quality point of view. Only one person was interviewed from each visited household who answered for the whole household.
2. Time chart grant tasks fulfillment
Within the frame of the project following activities were carried out:
November 2008:
-Revised grant performance time chart preparation in detail of the project with respect to president election in the Slovak republic
-Selection of experts for steering managing team and teams for managing the tasks in the regions
-Selection of translator and specialist for judging the correct interpretation of the translation relating the legal, police, and judicious terminology being used in the questionnaire.
-Providing information on pilot project for workers at the Centre of Statistical Office and Regional Offices of the Slovak republic
-Processing the contract and its signing for caring out the translation and language revision (terminological) works
-Household questionnaire translation (first part)
December 2008:
-Continuing in questionnaire translation with respect to conditions
-Professional discussion at the Centre and Regions on questionnaire structure and used terminology
-Feed-back, impulses, proposals, suggestions, as well as the objections and preceding processing for Slovak final version questionnaire
-Definite timetable, methodological materials and documents for training the regional managers, administrative workers, and interviewers
-Working out “the manual for interviewer” and “logical question links”
January 2009:
-Processing the final version of the Slovak questionnaire
-Copying the needed number (230) of copies, needed for securing the trainings and household survey itself.
-Regional managers trainings, administrative workers, and interviewers as follows:
27th January 2009 Košice, number of participants: 7
28th January 2009 Prešov, number of participants: 7
February 2009:
-Continuing in training the regional managers, administrative workers, and interviewers in other regions as follows:
3rd February 2009 Žilina, number of participants: 8
4th February 2009 Trenčín, number of participants: 7
10th February 2009 Banská Bystrica, number of participants: 7
11th February 2009 Nitra, number of participants: 7
16th February 2009 Bratislava, collective training for Bratislava and Trnava regions, number of participants: 14
- Preparation and contract signing with interviewers
Training contents
Within the scope of the Slovak republic, there were wholly 57 participants in regions including the regional managers, administrative workers, and interviewers. The contents were these matters mainly:
-Furnishing the methodological materials and information for involved workers and at the same time it was carried out:
-Furnishing copies of the household questionnaires
-Discussion and collecting the impulses as for the structure and content of the household questionnaire
-Instruction on methods of access to respondents
-We pointed out the necessity of different approach to the first, so called indiscrete part and second, so called discrete part of household questionnaire
-Using the classification concerning the relation of respondent to household header, ISCO 88 classification expressing the occupation of respondent as well as classification of the countries
Starting the fieldwork
As we were indicated from the regions, complexity and high extent of the questionnaire would be the main problem we shall meet in the pilot survey.
-Fieldworks were started in data collection in the families in individual regions
-The selection of households fulfilling the stated chosen criteria
-The dates and terms settling by interviewers for survey realization itself, by means of the questionnaire
-Methodological support in regional work places
-Preparation and drawing up the first interim report on project course, which was sent to Eurostat on 23rd February 2009.
March 2009:
-Fieldwork continuing in data collection, addressing the households and filling up the questionnaires in each regions of the Slovak republic
-Taking over the filled questionnaires from interviewers through regional managers and administrative workers
-Working out the model summarization table, which was sent to each regions
-Recording on CD-ROMs
-Recording questionnaires starting works on CD-ROMs into the shown summarization table
-Evaluation of interviewer’s activity and preparation of problems summarization, deficiencies, and proposals for solving it in the future regular survey.
-Second interim report preparation, which was sent to Eurostat on 30th April 2009.
April 2009:
-Fieldwork continuing in the regions in recording the questionnaires into the summarization tables on CD-ROMs
May 2009:
-Taking over and checking the recorded CD-ROMs from individual regional work places
June 2009:
-Continuing in analysis’ preparation of responds in sections A – F of household questionnaire
-Starting the works on working out the whole answers´ analysis
-Summarization of the problems, deficiency, and proposals for solving in the future
July 2009:
-Continuing summarization and analytical works at the Centre on discrete part of the questionnaire relating the questions Q1 – Q117
August 2009:
-Continuing summarization and analytical works at the Centre on discrete part of the questionnaire relating the questions Q1 – Q117
-Documents preparation for third Quality Report
-Consultation concerning the data processing with management of the project, where working questions in accessing to analysis of the responses to questionnaire questions were discussed
-Remarks and proposals preparation for Final Implementation Report
September 2009:
-Third Quality Report documents preparation
-Budget proposal preparation for regular survey
We suppose the first regular survey in the Slovak Republic by household questionnaire (Victimization Survey) will need total expenditure about
197663 €, expressed in prices in year 2009.
Important output of the project was the conclusion and recommendations, which followed from fulfilment of the main project assignments which were:
-professional translation
-questionnaire test in practice
October 2009:
-The third quality report on project was finalized and was sent to Eurostat on 13th November 2009. Conclusions of report have decisional importance to successfulness of whole project.
-Started preparation for processing the Final Report and Financial Report of whole project. The project involves task for meeting the steering management, from which realization aspect and directions have come out in the manner of processing above mentioned reports. After implementation period of project, processing these report continued intensively when already all circumstances were known and specified all needed expenditures for whole project realization.
-Processing the recommendations and proposal of project.
-Processing the Final implementation report and Financial report.
3. Conclusions and recommendations for following surveys
Our conclusions and recommendations are based on gained experiences, knowledge and reactions of the interviewers and respondents. Based on these experiences we are recommending as follows:
a) Substantially to reduce the content of the questionnaire to be acceptable for our respondents (real time needed for its filling should not exceed 60 minutes)
b) To decrease the number of the time of periods, which are posed to respondents, to pose the question the last 5 years or last 12 months not more, because by our opinion, the questionnaire should map last past time. More previously respondent’s life time of period has significance only in the case of individual negative experiences (murder in family, robberies, molestation, and sexual violence,
c) It is important to limit the age of the respondent when regarding more long-ago past time. When introducing the question it will be needed thoroughly to discuses in working groups. It is unrespectable the questions in questionnaire contain up to 5 time sections:
- before 15 years of life
- after 15 years of life
- during last 12 months
- during last 5 years
- when it happened last time
It should be use maximally 1- 2 time criteria as it was above mentioned.
d) Detailed questions to pose only in cases in closer explaining the circumstance of cases, which happened in the latest previous time period maximally during last 12 months. We recommend considering the possibilities of responses in questions oriented to circumstances of criminal act (perpetrator, the form of its realization, its consequences and damage, which had arisen). By our opinion more detailed reporting is unendurable to require in more than 2 the most marked events (according to subjective importance, which is determined by respondent), in which he wasthe victim.
e) To set special Task Force on the level of Eurostat or DG JLS, this precipitately will secure professional questionnaire reduction of households at the very latest up to the end of year 2011 to have much time for the member states to prepare regular survey, which is to be started in year 2013.
f) For the purpose of increasing the respondent’s motivation looking for the non financial form, e.g. providing the little presents for households, which undergo the survey.
g) Explicitly we recommend setting „KEY NDICATORS“, of which the filling should be obligatory for the purpose of the survey.
h) To set the reporting unit as collectively economizing household, on behalf of which willreport only one member of the household, older than 18 years.
i) To set the representativeness of survey results on the level NUTS1. According to our opinion, it was thus stated the depth of posed questions for forming thepublic policy no needed and hardly is it possible to demonstrate their usability. It concerns rather a fulfilment of necessities of some research centres.
j) When demonstrating their time non-groundwork of some posed questions, we aim attention to required data e.g. in oldest respondent of our survey who was 94 years old in time of the survey. The questionnaire interviewed him the situations that happed before more than 80 years, thus sometimes within the years 1915 – 1929. It concerns the questions, which relate the events concerning the violence being acted to respondent before reaching his age of life 15 years.
Conclussion:
If the project benefit is to be evaluated as a whole, it can be stated that project tasks fulfilment came out expectations so that it helped to realize household questionnaire translation and to test the reality its requirements for the statisticians as well as respondents in practice. A real view was enabled on the structure, content, and extent of household questionnaire. Assumption was created in putting whole preparation of regular survey in the practice in year 2013. It pointed out the level of sum needed for financial securing the survey in the Slovak republic. The first assumptions were created for regular and comparable survey all over EU countries, mainly in Slovakia.
In Bratislava, 15th November 2009
Report draw up:
Dr. Eugen-Mikulas Placintar
Manager of the project
1