Integrated Household Panel Survey 2024 (Long-Term Panel and Sample Refresh, 51 EAs each)

DATA ENTRY PLATFORM
To ensure high data quality and timely data availability, the IHS6 used the World Bank’s Survey Solutions CAPI software. Each team supervisor was provided with a laptop computer and a wireless internet router, while each enumerator received a 10-inch GPS-enabled Samsung tablet. The use of Survey Solutions enabled real-time data availability, as completed questionnaires were approved by supervisors and synced to the headquarters server as frequently as possible. While administering the first module of the questionnaire, enumerators also recorded the GPS coordinates of dwelling units using their tablets. This allowed headquarters to view the location of dwellings plotted on a map of Malawi, facilitating remote supervision by verifying both the number of interviews completed and whether sampled households fell within the correct Enumeration Area (EA) boundaries.

Geo-referenced household locations captured on the tablets complemented GPS measurements taken with Garmin eTrex 30 handheld devices. These locations were linked with publicly available geospatial databases, enabling the inclusion of various geospatial variables such as distance to the nearest market, climatology, soil and terrain characteristics, and other environmental factors — in the analysis.

DATA MANAGEMENT
The IHS6 Survey Solutions CAPI application was designed to streamline the data collection process. Interviews were collected in “sample” mode (with assignments generated from headquarters), rather than “census” mode, giving the NSO greater control over the sample.

The range and consistency checks built into the application drew on lessons from the LSMS experience in previous IHS rounds. These pre-programmed checks allowed for the detection and reporting of potential issues, which could be investigated and corrected before an enumeration area was closed. Headquarters (NSO management) assigned work to supervisors based on their regions of coverage. Supervisors then assigned specific tasks to enumerators linked to their accounts. Work assignments and the syncing of completed interviews were carried out via Wi-Fi connection to the IHS6 server. Because the data was available in real time, it was closely monitored throughout the data collection period. Upon receipt at headquarters, the data was exported to STATA for additional consistency checks, cleaning, and analysis.

DATA CLEANING
Data cleaning was carried out in several stages during fieldwork and preliminary analysis. The first stage occurred in the field, where teams used the error reports generated by the Survey Solutions application. For any flagged errors, enumerators were required to add comments explaining the issue and confirming that they had verified the response with the respondent. Supervisors were expected to sync enumerator tablets frequently to minimize the number of pending questionnaires and enable daily reviews. Some supervisors reviewed interviews on the tablets before syncing, recorded notes in the supervisor account, and rejected questionnaires when necessary.

The second stage involved additional error reports generated in Stata and shared with field teams via email. Field supervisors collected these reports for their assigned areas and worked with enumerators to review, investigate, and correct errors. The rapid error-reporting process allowed for call-backs to respondents while teams were still in the enumeration area when needed. Corrections were made to rejected questionnaires and sent back to headquarters.

Further cleaning was performed after interviews were approved, to resolve systematic errors and ensure consistency across data modules. Case-by-case cleaning was also conducted during preliminary analysis, particularly for out-of-range values and outliers.

All cleaning activities were undertaken in close collaboration with World Bank staff who provided technical assistance to the NSO throughout the design and implementation of the IHS6.