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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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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2012
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| 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 |
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okr-10986-37002021-04-23T14:02:12Z Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania Bardasi, Elena Beegle, Kathleen Dillon, Andrew Serneels, Pieter 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 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. 2012-03-19T18:38:08Z 2012-03-19T18:38:08Z 2010-01-01 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 English Paper is funded by the Knowledge for Change Program (KCP),Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5192 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Africa Africa Sub-Saharan Africa East Africa Tanzania |
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Digital Repository |
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Foreign Institution |
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Digital Repositories |
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World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
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 |
| spellingShingle |
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 Bardasi, Elena Beegle, Kathleen Dillon, Andrew Serneels, Pieter Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Africa Sub-Saharan Africa East Africa Tanzania |
| relation |
Paper is funded by the Knowledge for Change
Program (KCP),Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5192 |
| description |
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. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Bardasi, Elena Beegle, Kathleen Dillon, Andrew Serneels, Pieter |
| author_facet |
Bardasi, Elena Beegle, Kathleen Dillon, Andrew Serneels, Pieter |
| author_sort |
Bardasi, Elena |
| title |
Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| title_short |
Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| title_full |
Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| title_fullStr |
Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania |
| title_sort |
do labor statistics depend on how and to whom the questions are asked? results from a survey experiment in tanzania |
| publishDate |
2012 |
| url |
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 |
| _version_ |
1764387882172153856 |