The much anticipated Community Survey 2016 (CS 2016) kicked off on 7 March 2016. Over 10 000 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) field workers across the country will visit 1,3 million sampled households collecting data until 22 April 2016.

Unlike previous surveys of this magnitude, this year the CS 2016 will use the Computer Assisted Paper Interview (CAPI) methodology, whereby data collection happens digitally via electronic devices, rather than the traditional paper method. Not only will this technological method reduce costs (as a result of the shift from paper to digital questionnaires) but it will also improve the quality of the data because of inbuilt controls in the electronic questionnaire. The use of geographic navigation capabilities will ensure that fieldworkers enumerate houses that have been selected. Furthermore, this method will also ensure that results are released much sooner than before.

The purpose of the survey is to collect up-to-date information from household such as age, sex, migration, access to water and sanitation among others. This information will be used for policy planning as well as to monitor the quality of services that citizens are receiving.

Also included in this issue are our monthly articles such as Civil cases for debt and Retail trade sales included.

Articles published in this issue are based on results of industry surveys conducted for the months ranging from December 2015, January and February 2016 which were published by Stats SA in February and March 2016.

Download Mbalo Brief – March 2016

For more details on any of the surveys, visit our website at:
www.statssa.gov.za

NOTE:

The educational article will not be included in this month’s edition. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Enjoy the read.