Households urged to participate in living conditions survey

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is urging all households selected for the 2026 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) to participate, noting that their responses are critical to producing reliable data on the living conditions of Jamaicans.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Monday, Director of Field Services at STATIN, Philone Mantock, said the survey is designed to capture information across different income levels and socioeconomic groups, making the participation of every selected household important.

“So, it’s important that all 3,900 households participate because this is where we’ll get a clear and accurate picture of the status of Jamaicans across the island,” she said.

She explained that interviewers cannot replace a selected household with another if the household declines to participate, as this would affect the randomness of the sample. She pointed out that interviewers are instructed to collect information only from households identified in the sample.

“Usually, we have households that are willing. So, the rural communities, they’re always willing to participate. They’re willing to talk or interviewers even end up leaving with produce,” she said. However, Mantock noted that interviewers sometimes encounter difficulties accessing persons in gated communities, apartment complexes and townhouse developments “and not just in Kingston and St Andrew, [but] also in St James, St Ann, Trelawny, St Thomas, and those are the challenging areas”.

She assured that interviewers are trained to be “persistent, polite, and patient” when engaging respondents.

“We’re also going to be providing callback cards to our interviewers. So, if nobody’s at home, they can leave their name and their number for the respondent to call back to set up an interview,” Mantock said, adding that the questionnaire is lengthy and may require more than one visit to complete.

The JSLC is an annual household survey that provides important information on the social and economic well-being of Jamaicans. The survey is a joint exercise between STATIN and the Planning Institute of Jamaica.