Providing evidence and "Voice" during the COVID-19 pandemic using online rapid response surveys: lessons from the UJ/HSRC COVID-19 democracy survey
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2022
TITLE AUTHOR(S): C.Runciman, S.Rule, M.Bekker, B.Roberts, M.Orkin, Y.D.Davids, N.Bohler-Muller, K.Alexander
KEYWORDS: COVID-19, RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT: Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 9812208
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/19311
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/19311
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
COVID-19 presents significant challenges to society and to social scientists in their attempts to understand the unfolding consequences of the pandemic. This article examines how the UJ/ HSRC COVID-19 Democracy survey responded to these challenges by conducting a series of rapid-response non-probabilistic surveys using a mass membership online data-free platform, known as the Moya messenger app. While not without its limitations, we argue that the narrowing 'digital divide' in South Africa means that online survey research is of increasing utility to researchers under the conditions of the pandemic and beyond. By offering insight into the technicalities of designing, translating and fielding the survey we aim to share insights into best practice that can further develop online survey research in South Africa. In particular, we reflect upon why the river sampling offered by the Moya messenger app was favoured over online panel data. This leads into a discussion of the process of weighting the data to replicate the national population, and the potential biases among participants versus non-participants in the surveys. The article then moves on to illustrate how the findings were used to provide evidence to policymakers and 'voice' to adults living in South Africa about their experiences of the pandemic and their views on policy responses. The article considers how the research contributed to the public discourse around the pandemic response in 2020, including the public's views on various pandemic policy decisions, school closures and pandemic fatigue.-
Related Research Outputs:
- United Kingdom Research and Innovation awards grant for a national DATAFREE survey on persons with disabilities in South Africa to understand the effects of COVID-19
- Producing updated policy-relevant health research during a time of national crisis: insights from the HSRC's Human and Social Capabilities Division Research Programme
- COVID-19, the science communication clarifier
- Globalisation, regional integration, governance, and household viability envisaging a research, policy and advocacy agenda: roundtable report
- Shared and SAHARA (social aspects of HIV/AIDS research alliance)
- Utilisation of research findings: case study report
- Understanding the structure of data when planning for analysis: application of hierarchical linear model
- Educational research in the African development context: rediscovery, reconstruction and prospects
- Report on the HSRC study tour to France, 2-6 October
- Strategy for gaining access to conduct research in the informal settlement
- The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission: an experience in the research department
- South Africa's first national population-based HIV/AIDS behavioural risks, sero-status and media impact survey (SABSSM) research project: first quarterly progress report
- Report on the IEA/NCES data analysis course in the Netherlands and European conference on educational research in Finland
- Imbalances in the knowledge about infancy: the divide between rich and poor countries
- A balancing act: dilemmas of teacher-research within a critical pedagogy framework
- The HSRC's research on scarce skills in South Africa
- Writing about education at the HSRC
- The interface between research and policy dialogue: symbolic or substantive
- From weather changes to climate shifts: the experience of developing a social attitudes survey for South Africa
- Moving beyond the sledgehammer: a personal response to the HSRC's research ethics policy