QUICK GUIDE 1 - DESK REVIEW Official statistics Existing national data sources, such as censuses, surveys, civil registries or social service agencies, may include data on stateless people. Current and comprehensive statistics on the number of stateless people will generally be rare, although some countries, particularly in Europe, gather and publish such statistics. Such information still needs to be treated with caution as statistical data, particularly census data, is often based on self-identification. Individual respondents may not know, as a matter of fact, whether or not they are stateless. Furthermore, datasets may not always distinguish between those reporting that they are stateless, those who choose not to respond to a question about their nationality and those who do not know what nationality they have. Please refer to UNHCR’s population statistics database for the most recently available statistics on stateless persons and persons of undetermined nationality by country. The fact that there is no data reported for a particular country does not mean that there are no stateless persons, only that there are no publicly reported statistics from the State. If not published, it is recommended to inquire with relevant statistics gathering agencies whether they have disaggregated statistics by age, gender, and perhaps location. 10 U N H C R > R E S E A R C H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S - Q U I C K G U I D E S Quick Guide 2 WHEN TO UNDERTAKE QUALITATIVE VS. QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION ON STATELESSNESS This guick guide covers the two types of primary data collection - qualitative and quantitative – which can take place after a “desk review” (see Quick Guide 1 for more information) has been completed. It provides an overview of the main differences between the two data collection methods and indicates the situations for which each method is more appropriate. U N H C R > R E S E A R C H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S - Q U I C K G U I D E S 11