Surveys to monitor finer details of Jordanian life, land

AMMAN — The Department of Statistics (DoS) said on Tuesday, it is planning to begin conducting quarterly reports on key national issues in order to provide updated statistics for public policy decision making and evaluations.

Statistics for the new quarterly reports are to cover employment, poverty (families’ incomes and expenditures), family health (health conditions, birth rates, number of family members) and agriculture (crops, land, livestock), DoS Director General Qasim Zu’bi told The Jordan Times.

These fields require constantly updated data, which in some cases can change from one season to another, he said.

The move is part of the department’s goal of providing comprehensive, integrated data to aid decision makers in planning and development, Zu’bi said in a phone interview.

DoS will start conducting polls on employment in February, with the expected cost of nearly JD140,000 to be covered by international assistance through the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, he noted.

The poll measuring economic performance and poverty rates, costing JD1.8 million to be funded through the department’s budget, is expected to be carried out in September or October this year. .

The other two polls will be carried out sometime “soon” this year, Zu’bi said, adding that the agriculture poll is expected to cost up to JD4 million, to be covered by the DoS budget, while the family health poll will cost over JD1 million, to be funded through international aid.

The results of each of the electronic polls will be released around a month after the conclusion of the surveys, Zu’bi explained, noting that DoS staff will conduct the polls after receiving training on specialised topics, in coordination with other ministries and public agencies.