The Central Statistical Office of the Ministry of Finance, Planning, Economic Development and Physical Development Announces the Commencement of the Survey of Living Condition and the Household Budget Survey. This survey is major component of the Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment which was launched on 18th April 2018. The Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment as the name suggest is a comprehensive assessment of Poverty in Grenada using both quantitative and qualitative means. This assessment focusses on the level of poverty, its causes, its effects and the impact of activities geared to towards poverty alleviation. It is referred to as enhanced mainly because of incorporation methodological improvements in the measurement of poverty since the last survey in 2007/2008.
Country Poverty Assessments (CPAs) in the Caribbean use the Survey of Living Conditions (SLC) as the main source of robust quantitative data to generate key quantitative poverty, indigence, inequality and vulnerability indicators and to evaluate living conditions at a point in time. Usually in Country Poverty Assessments of the OECS, the Survey of Living Conditions is combined with a Household Budgetary Survey (HBS), which collects expenditure data in a much more detailed format than would typically be collected in the normal SLC. The more detailed expenditure survey is mainly for the update of our Consumer Price Index basket, which is used in the computation of Grenada inflation rate.
The Central Statistical Office is responsible for the quantitative component of the eCPA which is the Survey of Living Conditions and a Household Budget Survey. Surveys of Living Conditions (SLCs) have become institutionalised in the Caribbean as Governments seek to establish with detailed quantitative analysis the extent of the impact on distribution of economic and social policies. The assessment of the conditions under which the poorest and most vulnerable live is of extreme interest given the primary objective of poverty reduction as articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Grenada has identified Goal I of the SDG -End poverty in all its forms everywhere as one of its key priorities which is reflected in the framing of its National Sustainable Development Plan. More specifically, strategic outcome 1 in the Ministry of Finance’s Corporate Plan focusses on reducing poverty unemployment and inequality. The Government of Grenada in its 2018 budget Statement indicated that the Budget is anchored on our country’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2014-2018 which speaks to government’s commitment to reducing poverty in all its forms.
Poverty measurement has traditionally unidimensional measure in determining poverty rates, using income or consumption levels. But evidence suggests that poverty is not unidimensional in nature. No one indicator, uniquely captures the multiple aspects that contribute to poverty. Research has also revealed that levels and trends of consumption poverty are not highly correlated with trends in other basic variables such as child mortality, primary school completion rates, or undernourishment (Bourguignon et al 2010). Hence, a person or household can be consumption poor but multi-dimensionally non-poor, or consumption rich but experiencing poverty in other dimensions. This enhanced approach to the measurement of poverty seeks to capture the multi-dimensional nature of this condition, which will allow for better targeting of resources.
This survey will be conducted over a period of a year from June 2018 to May 2019, with a proportion of the 1689 sampled household being interviewed on a monthly basis.
The success of this survey in accurately capturing persons’ poverty status depends on the full cooperation of the public. Persons are informed that the work of the Statistical department is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, No. 30 of 1960 and No. 21 of 1961. The public is therefore assured that information provided to the Central Statistical Office is strictly confidential and would only be disseminated at the aggregate level. The enumerators for the survey have all taken an Oath of Secrecy to guarantee all respondents that information given would not be divulged. Anyone violating this oath can be prosecuted.
The public is being advised that the information collected is essential to Government’s efforts to eradicate poverty in Grenada. The availability this information will put Grenada in a better position to source and access funding for projects related poverty alleviation, social protection and sustainable development. The indicators which will be produced from the survey are critical in establishing baseline for Grenada’s monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals which are aligned to Grenada’s National Sustainable Development Planning Framework. Without these, no meaningful assessment of development performance is complete.
The Central Statistical Office is soliciting the full support and cooperation from the general public, especially the households selected for interviewing. Your positive response to completing the questionnaire accurately and to the best of your knowledge is important to the overall success of the survey. The information provided can positively impact the development of our country. Help us as we seek to End Poverty Now in Grenada.