Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania

Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania

Labor market statistics are critical for assessing and understanding economic development. In practice, widespread variation exists in how labor statistics are measured in household surveys in low-income countries. Little is known whether these dif...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bardasi, Elena, Beegle, Kathleen, Dillon, Andrew, Serneels, Pieter
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
CASUAL WORKERS
CHANGE
CHILD LABOR
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES
DATA COLLECTION
DATA ENTRY
DATA QUALITY
DESCRIPTION
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DISTRICTS
DWELLING
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMICS
EMPLOYEE
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS
EMPLOYMENT RATE
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
ENUMERATORS
FAMILY LABOR
FEMALE
FEMALE EMPLOYMENT
FEMALE LABOR
FEMALE LABOR FORCE
FEMALES
FIELD WORK
GENDER
GENDER ISSUES
HOURS OF WORK
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
HOUSEHOLD ENTERPRISE
HOUSEHOLD ENTERPRISES
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HOUSEHOLDS
HOUSING
HUMAN RESOURCES
INCOME
INFORMAL SECTOR
INTERVIEWS
LABOR DEMAND
LABOR FORCE
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKET INDICATORS
LABOR MARKETS
LABOR STATISTICS
LABOR SUPPLY
LABOR SURVEYS
LABORERS
LABOUR
LABOUR FORCE
LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOUR OFFICE
LABOUR STATISTICS
LIVING STANDARDS
LIVING STANDARDS MEASUREMENT
MARKET SURVEYS
OCCUPATION
OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC OPINION
QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
QUESTIONNAIRES
REGULAR JOBS
RESEARCH DESIGN
RESEARCH METHODS
RURAL AREAS
SAMPLE SIZE
SELF EMPLOYED
SURVEY DATA
SURVEY DESIGN
SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION
SURVEY INSTRUMENTS
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES
SURVEY QUESTIONS
SURVEY RESEARCH
UNEMPLOYMENT
UNPAID FAMILY WORKERS
URBAN AREAS
VILLAGES
WAGE EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
WOMEN WORKERS
WORK ACTIVITIES
WORK IN PROGRESS
WORK PROJECT
WORKER
WORKERS
WORKING
WORKING HOURS
WORKING WOMEN
YOUNGER WORKERS
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100127140449
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3700
Description
Summary:Labor market statistics are critical for assessing and understanding economic development. In practice, widespread variation exists in how labor statistics are measured in household surveys in low-income countries. Little is known whether these differences have an effect on the labor statistics they produce. This paper analyzes these effects by implementing a survey experiment in Tanzania that varied two key dimensions: the level of detail of the questions and the type of respondent. Significant differences are observed across survey designs with respect to different labor statistics. Labor force participation rates, for example, vary by as much as 10 percentage points across the four survey assignments. Using a short labor module without screening questions on employment generates lower female labor force participation and lower rates of wage employment for both men and women. Response by proxy rather than self-report yields lower male labor force participation, lower female working hours, and lower employment in agriculture for men. The differences between proxy and self reporting seem to come from information imperfections within the household, especially with the distance in age between respondent and subject playing an important role, while gender and educational differences seem less important.

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