A Peek under the Hood: What It Actually Takes to Conduct a DHS

Kristen Wares, Office of Population and Health, USAID
Apoorva Jadhav, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) is the gold-standard survey platform for population, health, and nutrition data worldwide, with over 400 surveys conducted in over 90 countries since 1984. These data have been the cornerstone for public policy discourse and decision-making in survey countries. In this paper, we explore some common criticisms from different stakeholders, and state the requirements, challenges, and implications of maintaining the DHS survey infrastructure. This paper will explore three interrelated areas that affect all stages of the survey process: Challenges with fundraising and budgeting for surveys, challenges with coordination at the global and bilateral levels, and logistical challenges of ensuring the security and safety of the people involved and preserving the quality of the data. This paper will guide recommendations to help the global community identify best practices so the DHS and other household surveys can continue to collect high quality, actionable demographic data that can be used at local, regional and global levels.

Keywords: Data and Methods, Geo-referenced/geo-coded data, Health and Morbidity

See extended abstract.