Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2000

The current round of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) is an expansion of the Household Income Surveys (HIS) from previous years, which did not include consumption sections. Previous rounds of the survey were conducted in 1991-92, and in 1995-96.

The current round of the HIES differs from previous surveys that have been carried out in Bangladesh. Instead of focusing only on a few areas, for instance health or labor force participation, the HIES 2000 will gather information on a variety of areas. This questionnaire is more ambitious and complex than earlier ones, and will collect data on demographics, housing, education, health, employment, income and economic activities, and consumption. This will allow the study of data on one area in conjunction with data on other areas; for instance, data from the survey can be used to study the impact of education on health or on employment. Understanding the interaction and linkages between different aspects of a household's life will enable the government to design more effective development policies and programs. The name of the survey has accordingly also been changed from HES to HIES (Household Income and Expenditure Survey).

A second distinctive feature is that a community questionnaire is also administered in addition to the household questionnaires. The community questionnaire, which will be administered in all Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) in rural areas, collects information on characteristics of the community, facilities and amenities available. This information will help in studying the information collected at the household level. For instance, as a result of collecting data through both the household and community questionnaires, enrollment rates in different parts of the country can be related to accessibility of schools, or farm income and agricultural practices related to the quality of local infrastructure and availability of agricultural inputs, etc. The study of such interrelationships between household outcomes and community factors is a particularly important one from a policy perspective.

A third distinctive feature is the use of personal computers for data entry in the field. The data collected in a PSU will be entered into a personal computer while the team is still in that PSU, instead of being sent back to the central office for data entry. The data entry program used for the survey will allow interviewers and supervisors to check if there are any mistakes or missing data. In addition, the program will also check whether information from one part of the interview matches information from other parts. When problems or errors are found, the interviewers can return to the households to correct these inconsistencies or mistakes. This process of entering, checking and correcting data through the use of computers in the field will help ensure that the data collected is accurate and of high quality.