Generations and Gender Survey 2020 Moldova Wave 1

Face to Face Personal Interviews

CAPI; 24 interviews were in CAWI, after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Respondents were contacted up to 8 times and household members were contacted in order to arrange alternative ties for contact attempts. 5% of the sample was recontacted to verify that the interview actually took place. Individual interviewers performance was evaluated by NIDI and feedback on performance was provided on a weekly basis.

1. Dealing with non-response 1.1. Screening: Yes, sampled households were identified and household members who were eligible for interview (i.e. regularly resident at the address and aged 15-79) were included in a household roster from which the individual with the next birthday was then selected. 1.2. Refusal conversion: Interviews were given materials to provide to potential respondents. 1.3. Incentives: Respondents were provided with approximnately 50 MDL incentive and this was increased to 100 MDL for individuals in hard to reach populations

2. Tracking of sampled units 2.1. Respondent contact information: Yes 2.2. Other contact information: Yes, contact information on a proxy was also collected 2.3. Cards: No 2.4. Additional surveys: No 2.5. Administrative records: No

1. Questionnaire localization 1.1. Validation : There were no significant issues in translating the questionnaire to Moldovan/Romanian or Russian 1.2. Pre-test : Testing of the survey was done through cognitive interviews and normal survey rules with around 20 respondents. These are not included as part of the data. 1.3. Pilot : No 1.4. Deviations from the baseline questionnaire : Not applicable 1.5. Interview lenght : Interviews had a median length of 46 minutes 1.6. Breaks-off : 94

2. Interviewers 2.1. Total interviewers: A total of 201 interviewers underwent the training process 2.2. Total interviewers in the field: 114 operators passed the training and worked in the field 2.3. Network Organization: The research area was divided in 4 regions: North, Center, South and Chisinau. Each region had a Manager responsible for data collection. Each manager worked with 20-30 interviewers. A total of 10 interviewers were assigned for field checks. 2.4. Working arrangement of Interviewers: All interviewers have been hired on a fixed-term contract basis. Two options were also available: full-time and part-time contracts. Work schedule for full-time interviewers: 8 working hours per day between 12:00 and 20:00, 5 days a week, including one weekend. 2.5. Payment of interviewers: The interviewers’ payment was calculated based on the working hours performed during a month. A minimum number of questionnaires per month was established. Interviewers with an increased efficiency and a higher number of questionnaires received bonuses.

3. Interviewer training 3.1. General Interviewer training: Two face-to-face trainings were organized, with 50 interviewers per each training. 10 trainings were organized online in the summer, after restarting data collection. 3.2. Survey Specific training: During the trainings, special lessons were held by health experts during which the medical terms and the topic of sexual relations were explained. Also, since the collection took place during the coronavirus pandemic, interviewers were instructed how to protect themselves against coronavirus, how to use protective materials and how to maintain a social distance during the interview and field work. 3.3. Length of training: Before the pandemic, face-to-face trainings had a duration of two days. During the pandemic, 10 online training sessions were organized in small groups with a duration of three days. 3.4. Control of Performance (i.e. testing): The quality and fieldwork performance control took place through the following types of verifications: Telephone checks; Field checks; Verifications based on data collected by ODK system; Verifications by NIDI based on data indicators for each operator. 3.5. Interviewer Survey: N/A

4. Contact protocols 4.1 Advance Letter Information: letters were prepared for all selected households. The text of the letter contained information about the importance of the study and participation with the signature of the Minister of Health. A day before starting to work on a route, the interviewer delivered a letter to each household. In the areas with a larger number of households, posters were also placed in central places. 4.2 Cold Contacts: No phone contacts of respondents available after the listing. 4.3 Scheduling/Scatter: The interviewers were instructed to offer a possibility to schedule the interview at the request of the respondent. A total of 1547 households used this option. Of these, 781 completed the interview after scheduling. 4.4 Contact History: The interviewers worked in stages with a limited number of households per route. After visiting all of the households on a route, and closing all, the operator was assigned another route. The interviewers were also instructed to visit households on different days and at different times of the day in order to have the chance to find respondents at home. 4.5 Min number of contacts: A minimum of 3 contacts was established for North, Center and South regions. And a minimum of 4 contacts for Chisinau.
   4.6 Max number of contacts: 147 HH – 8 visits 172 HH – 7 visits 345 HH – 6 visits 734 HH – 5 visits 2173 HH – 4 visits

5. Noteworthy characteristics of the data collection situation: Relatively high non-response was observed amongst young men in urban areas. This is a commonly observed problem in fieldwork, especially in post-soviet countries in Eastern Europe. To mitigate this, extensive efforts were made including more intensive and varied contact attempts and additional incentives.

6. Context Data collection was interupted on 16th March due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and reconvened on 4th July. A small number of `COVID related questions were subsequently added to the end of the interview regarding the impact of COVID. The responses to these questions are included in the data release. When fieldwork recommenced, interviews were conducted under social distancing restrictions. This increased the number of interviews conducted with others present. Additionally 24 interviews were conducted in web mode.