Designing Household Surveys for Program Evaluation

Measuring the real-world impact of social programs requires high-quality, reliable data collected directly from households. This text-based course guides you through the foundational principles of designing and executing household surveys that yield actionable insights for program evaluation. You will transition from understanding basic evaluation concepts to confidently structuring survey questionnaires, selecting representative samples, and managing field data collection. By exploring modern digital data collection tools and ethical standards, you will gain the practical skills needed to support evidence-based policy decisions. What you'll learn: Understand the core principles of program evaluation and how household surveys measure intervention impact; Design effective survey questionnaires using structured, bias-free questioning techniques; Apply modern sampling methodologies to select representative household populations; Configure digital data collection workflows using mobile survey platforms and quality control protocols; Implement data privacy standards and ethical guidelines for protecting sensitive household information; Practice cleaning and preparing survey datasets for statistical evaluation. Starting with foundational terminology and evaluation frameworks, the course guides you step-by-step through questionnaire design, field operations, and data management. This course is designed for beginners, development practitioners, and research assistants looking to build a strong foundation in survey methodology, with no prior experience required. Start reading today to master the essentials of household survey design and improve your program evaluations.