Sustainability and Social Justice
Who Should be Interviewed in Surveys of Household Income?
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This study tests the null hypothesis that it is sufficient to interview only the household head to obtain accurate information on household income. Results show that using a husband's estimate of his wife's income does not produce statistically reliable results for poverty analysis. Estimates of the wife's income provided by the husband and wife are in agreement in only 6% of households. While limiting interviews to one person has the advantage of reducing the time and expense of household surveys, this appears detrimental in terms of accuracy, and may lead to incorrect conclusions on the determinants of poverty. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.
Publication Title
World Development
Publication Date
7-1-2010
Volume
38
Issue
7
First Page
966
Last Page
973
ISSN
0305-750X
DOI
10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.11.024
Keywords
Africa, gender, household dynamics, household surveys, Malawi, poverty
Repository Citation
Fisher, Monica; Reimer, Jeffrey; and Carr, Edward, "Who Should be Interviewed in Surveys of Household Income?" (2010). Sustainability and Social Justice. 98.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_idce/98