QUICK GUIDE 3 - MAIN STEPS QUICK GUIDE 3 - MAIN STEPS 3. Semi-structured interviews 2. Sample survey Semi-structured interviews are conducted in the same way as focus groups but with a smaller number of people (perhaps 2 – 3) or just one individual, in an informal and conversational way, using open-ended questions. These can be conducted with families, households, or groups of people known to each other, all with similar experiences or concerns. Semi-structured discussions are suited to analyzing problems that are more nuanced or complex that may not easily emerge or take up too much time with just one individual or in a larger focus group discussion. They are also useful when personal, sensitive or confidential information is being discussed. A sample survey differs from a census because it aims to collect data from a population by surveying only a randomly selected subset of the total population. The advantage of a sample survey is that data for a relatively small proportion of the population can be used to yield estimates for the total population through extrapolation, if the sample is representative of the total population. However, if the location of stateless persons is not known and an efficient sample to capture them is not possible, a large number of households will need to be interviewed in order to find an adequate number of stateless people and yield reliable estimates. 3. Collecting administrative data Quantitative data collection methods The most common methods for collecting quantitative data that are relevant to statelessness are: 1. Census A census is a full count of all households and individuals in a specific geographic location at a specific moment in time, either in the place they are found at the time that the census is undertaken or at their usual place of residence. The official national population and housing census (official census) is the most common source of population data. Official censuses are usually conducted by governments every ten years, depending on the country. The major advantages of an official census is that it covers the entire population of a country at the time it is conducted, that it uses a welltested methodology, and that it can provide a comprehensive sampling frame. This is important when measuring statelessness, since stateless persons tend to constitute a relatively small proportion of the total population and may be dispersed throughout the country, making it difficult to reach them with sample surveys without using complex sampling techniques or an accurate list or frame of stateless people. An official census can provide valuable information on the size and profile of stateless populations and thereby facilitate the work of policy makers by helping to identify causes of statelessness. 24 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 Administrative data from national systems may be a source of quantitative data provided that they collect information relevant to statelessness. The methods for collection of administrative data vary greatly from one country or context to another. The main gateway systems are civil registers and population registers. Civil registers record a person’s vital events such as birth, marriage, divorce and death. In most countries, the birth of a child is registered regardless of their legal status or the legal status of their parents. Population registers record all resident populations of a country, including foreigners. Each resident is assigned a unique identifying number which enables information across different registers (i.e., birth, death, marriage etc.) to be linked and for central records to be updated. If someone is excluded from the civil register or population register, then the likelihood of them being excluded from functional registers greatly increases. There are other registers that may record information on stateless populations for specific purposes, such as residence permit registers, work permit registers, tax registers, social security registers, social welfare shelter registers, school database; as well as databases maintained by international organisations and NGOs working on statelessness. In countries with established dedicated statelessness determination procedures, data is also generated from individual applications. This data can provide valuable insights into various aspects of statelessness in the country, e.g., causes of their statelessness, the geographic location of stateless persons, countries that stateless persons have potential links to etc. 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 25