NRC I Displacement, HLP and access to civil documentation in the north west of the Syrian Arab Republic one per cent of the total number of households surveyed (both males and females) reported that they were single. The research demonstrated that women are more negatively impacted than men in a number of respects, for example, females were far less likely to work than males (71 per cent of those who reported working were male, whilst only 29 per cent were female); were more likely to report that they were reliant on family members as their main source of income; and were more likely to report having no income (32 per cent of females as compared with 15 per cent of males). It is, therefore, important to appreciate the profile of the majority of the women interviewed, 76 per cent of whom were widowed or divorced. The qualitative data was collected through 12 focus group discussions (FGDs), six of which were conducted solely with females and six of which were conducted solely with males. In addition, 20 key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 17 male respondents and three female respondents. The FGDs aimed to capture a wide range of views across male and female community members, including IDP, host community and returnee participants in the sub-districts included in the survey which had high numbers of IDPs; while the KIIs aimed to obtain specific information from de facto local authorities 22 or other individuals involved in some way in the administration of HLP and civil documentation or in HLP dispute resolution in a variety of locations within each governorate. The research23 was designed so as to produce information that is useful for humanitarian actors and others who are supporting populations in the covered areas of north west Syria in various types of interventions, notably legal counselling and assistance and shelter support, as well as to inform advocacy on behalf of IDPs and other affected persons. However, logistical and practical constraints shaped the research process. The household data is not fully representative of all IDP households in north west Syria or of the IDPs residing in the two governorates selected for inclusion in the assessment at the time of the survey. Not all sub-districts were included in the assessment and the sample therefore more accurately represents IDP households in the sub-districts of Aleppo and Idleb which were accessible to the research team, stratified by accommodation type. It is hard to fully identify the bias that this selection process introduces into the sample (i.e. how different this sample is from a random selection of IDP households across all sub-districts of Aleppo and Idleb governorates, or indeed the whole of Syria, stratified by accommodation type). However, for those subdistricts in NGCAs which were inaccessible due to insecurity, the findings – if anything – are likely to underestimate the challenges and protection issues reported by the survey respondents. It is a safe assumption that IDPs who live in sub-districts rendered inaccessible due to safety issues could likely report more challenges in accessing their HLP rights and exercising their right to legal identity and civil documentation. The research team relied on the triangulation of all the research findings across multiple sources of data, in particular the comparing of quantitative findings with the qualitative data, as well as cross-checking the data with a similar assessment carried out by NRC in the south of Syria. 24 22 De facto authorities refer to actors that have assumed authority in areas outside of Government of Syria control and exercise effective control over the territory. 23 The same quantitative and qualitative tools were used for the assessments conducted in both the north west and in the south of Syria to ensure consistent and comparable data collection. 24 Note that the International Rescue Committee (IRC) also recently conducted an assessment on civil status documentation in Idleb city and Saraqeb, Idleb. See ‘Civil Status Documentation in Idleb Governorate in Northern Syria’, dated March 2017. The relevant findings of the IRC assessment were also taken into account by NRC. 12 I NRC Assessment Report