Why should you consider using intercept interviews for vulnerable populations?

An intercept interview is a survey comprised of close-ended questions that is conducted at beneficiary service sites by intercepting those beneficiaries. Jesse used this methodology to survey refugee youth in Egypt and Uganda.

The circumstances of these young refugees, who live scattered in different parts of Cairo and Kampala, and whose contact and personal information are strictly protected, meant that the Khulisa team could not easily distribute a survey. We used intercept interviews to intercept the refugees at the NGO offices and schools where they were receiving services.

The intercept interview methodology works for vulnerable populations for several reasons:

• Data is collected without personal identifying information;
• Beneficiaries can be easily reached and data collection easily coordinated;
• Data can be collected more quickly due to the concentration of beneficiaries and implementers;
• In-person data collection enables participants to have questions explained to them and asked in their own language; and
• Interviews can be used to capture beneficiary impact stories as well.

We posted a previous blog and #EvalTuesdayTip about intercept interviews earlier this year. But Jesse’s presentation goes into far greater depth and includes many tips that weren’t included in the previous posts, including:

• How to conduct effective outreach before the data collection begins;
• How to choose the right web-based survey application for an intercept interview survey;
• Contextualizing your survey for vulnerable populations; and
• How to obtain an unbiased sample.

Browse the full presentation here.

Stay tuned for more SAMEA tips from Khulisa presenters next week.