Using Survey Data to Drive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 ambitious targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. As we approach the midpoint of this journey, the critical role of data—particularly survey data—in achieving these goals has become increasingly clear. This article explores how survey data is driving progress towards the SDGs and why it’s crucial for informed decision-making in sustainable development.

The Role of Data in Advancing SDGs

Data serves as the backbone of the SDG framework, providing the means to measure progress, identify areas needing attention, and inform policy decisions. Without accurate and timely data, it would be impossible to know if we’re on track to meet the 2030 targets or where to focus our efforts. Survey data serves as a vital tool in the SDG framework, offering unique insights that other data sources can’t provide:

• Measuring progress: Data allows us to establish baselines and track improvements across all 17 goals. From poverty rates to carbon emissions, data provides the metrics needed to quantify change.
• Identifying priority areas: By analyzing data trends, we can pinpoint which regions, demographics, or specific targets are lagging behind, enabling a more targeted approach to development efforts.
• Informing policy and resource allocation: Data-driven insights help policymakers and organizations make evidence-based decisions on where to allocate resources and how to design effective interventions. They point out public needs and preferences, helps evaluate the impact of SDG-related interventions, and supports evidence-based decision-making in sustainable development efforts.
• Direct insights from populations: Surveys capture people’s experiences, perceptions, and behaviors firsthand, providing a nuanced understanding of progress.
• Filling data gaps: In regions where official statistics are lacking, surveys can provide essential information on key indicators.
• Tracking hard-to-measure goals: Some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as those relating to well-being, governance, and discrimination, heavily depend on survey data. This data provides valuable insights into subjective experiences, which are crucial for holistic development.
• Rapid assessment: Mobile and online surveys enable quick data collection, allowing timely responses to emerging issues or crises, and facilitating more frequent monitoring of SDG progress.
• Direct insights from populations: Surveys capture people’s experiences, perceptions, and behaviors firsthand, and provide nuanced understanding of progress beyond official statistics. This allows for disaggregation by demographics, which is crucial for the SDG principle of “leaving no one behind”.

Examples of Key Types of Survey Data for SDGs

There are several types of surveys that provide valuable data for understanding sustainable development:

• Household surveys: Provide important information about poverty, health, education, and living conditions. Examples include Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). They help in monitoring SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), and more.
• Labor force surveys: Essential for tracking employment-related SDGs. They provide data on unemployment, informal employment, and decent work. These are key for monitoring SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Opinion polls: Help gauge public awareness and attitudes towards sustainable development issues. They also measure the perceived quality of governance and institutions and contribute to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
• Time-use surveys: Measure how people allocate their time between different activities. They are crucial for understanding unpaid work, leisure time, and work-life balance, and contribute to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work).
• Agricultural surveys: Collect data on crop production, livestock, and farming practices. They are essential for monitoring SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and aspects of SDG 15 (Life on Land).

The list is as broad as it can be. Different types of surveys can be deployed to gather on-the-ground data on full SDGs or their subsets.

Challenges in Survey Data Collection for SDGs

Despite its importance, collecting comprehensive survey data presents several challenges. Ensuring representativeness is a primary concern, as surveys must reach all segments of the population, including marginalized groups. Remote or marginalized communities are often excluded from data collection efforts, skewing our understanding of progress. This involves overcoming barriers like illiteracy, lack of internet access, or cultural obstacles, and addressing potential biases in sampling and response rates.

In many developing regions around the world, there is a significant challenge related to robust data collection systems. This results in incomplete and unreliable information, leading to data gaps that hinder efforts to understand and address various social, economic, and environmental issues. Without comprehensive data, decision-makers are unable to fully grasp the extent of challenges and develop effective solutions, which can perpetuate disparities and impede progress. Efforts to improve data collection systems in these regions are crucial for enabling informed decision-making and facilitating positive change.

The frequency and timeliness of data collection pose another challenge. Traditional survey methods can be time-consuming and expensive, limiting how often data can be collected. Striking a balance between the need for timely data and the resource constraints of frequent large-scale surveys is an ongoing struggle. Ensuring data is available in time to inform policy decisions and SDG reporting adds another layer of complexity.

Maintaining data quality is crucial, which involves ensuring accuracy and reliability in survey responses, addressing issues of respondent fatigue, and maintaining consistency in data collection methods for comparability over time. The cost and resource requirements of large-scale surveys present significant hurdles, especially for developing countries with limited budgets.

Data harmonization is another critical challenge. Ensuring comparability of survey data across countries and over time, aligning survey questions and methodologies with SDG indicator requirements, and integrating survey data with other data sources for comprehensive SDG monitoring are all ongoing tasks that require coordination and standardization efforts.

GeoPoll’s Contribution to SDG Data Collection

At GeoPoll, we’re addressing these challenges through innovative mobile survey technology. Our mobile-based platform enables rapid data gathering across diverse populations in Africa and Asia, providing crucial insights for SDG-related projects. Some examples:

• GeoPoll has worked with several international development organizations to collect data on food security, tracking SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and conducting regular surveys on food access and affordability worldwide. These surveys measure household food consumption patterns and coping strategies, providing early warning data on potential food crises.
• Our multiple health surveys contribute to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by surveying access to healthcare services, tracking public awareness of health issues like the COVID-19 and ebola outbreaks, vaccine hesitancy and perceptions, and measuring subjective well-being and health indicators.
• In support of SDG 4 (Quality Education), we help assess school enrollment rates, reasons for non-attendance, measure parental perceptions of education quality, and evaluate the impact of distance learning initiatives during school closures.
• We have conducted surveys on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) to explore attitudes towards gender roles and women’s rights, measure women’s participation in decision-making and political representation, and assess the prevalence and perceptions of gender-based violence.
• We also contribute to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) by surveying household access to clean water and sanitation facilities, measuring time spent collecting water, and assessing community satisfaction with water and sanitation services.
• For SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), we track employment status, job satisfaction, and working conditions, measure access to finance and financial services and entrepreneurship opportunities, and assess the impact of economic shocks on households and businesses.
• Climate Change is a real threat and GeoPoll has conducted several local and global surveys to collect data on public perceptions and ideas on climate change. Examples include partnering with UNDP to conduct the recent global Peoples Climate Vote, East Africa’s private sector investments in climate change, and collecting data on public perceptions on climate change in the Caribbean.

The Path Forward

To fully leverage survey data for the SDGs, several key steps are necessary.

• Standardization efforts are crucial, involving the development of common survey methodologies and questions to allow for better comparison across countries and over time. Creating guidelines for adapting global SDG indicators to national and local contexts and establishing quality standards for survey data collection and analysis are also essential.
• Capacity building is another critical area, requiring support for developing countries in designing and implementing high-quality surveys. This involves training and equipping local researchers and statisticians in advanced survey methodologies and strengthening national statistical offices to lead SDG monitoring efforts.
• Data integration presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Combining survey data with other data sources can provide a more comprehensive understanding of SDG progress. This requires developing frameworks for integrating official statistics with citizen-generated and private-sector data and creating data ecosystems that allow for easy sharing and analysis of diverse data types.
• Ethical considerations must be at the forefront of these efforts. Ensuring data privacy and protection, especially when dealing with sensitive information, addressing potential biases, and promoting transparency in data collection methods and limitations are all crucial aspects of responsible data use.
• Promoting data use and impact is essential. Data is only as useful as its actual use. We mus encourage the use of survey data in policy-making and program design, developing user-friendly platforms for disseminating survey results to diverse stakeholders, and measuring and promoting the impact of data-driven decision-making on SDG progress.

As we strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, survey data will continue to play a pivotal role. It provides the ground-level insights needed to understand real progress and challenges in sustainable development, giving voice to individuals and communities at the heart of the SDG agenda. By investing in innovative survey methods, ensuring representativeness, and integrating survey data with other sources, we can make more informed decisions and accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

At GeoPoll, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of survey research and providing the data-driven insights needed to support global development efforts. Our mobile survey technology offers a powerful tool for rapid, representative data collection across diverse contexts. As we look towards 2030, we invite researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners to explore how survey data can enhance their work and contribute to creating a more sustainable and equitable world for all.

Contact GeoPoll to learn more about our work, capabilities and global coverage.