The Global Network for Disaster Reduction has undertaken SMS text-based surveys to determine people’s perceptions of progress in Disaster Reduction in various countries world-wide.  These surveys are intended to complement ‘Views from the Frontline 2011’ face-to-face surveys.

Why an SMS text-based survey?

The first survey in 2009 had 7000 face-to-face questionnaires administered in 48 countries.  It created considerable impact when presented at the UN biennial platform for disaster reduction in June 2009.  At the next Global Platform biennial meeting in May 2011, the outreach will be extended more widely through the SMS survey to 50,000 people in 70 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Methodology in brief

Representatives from communities all over the work and their local government officials will be a part of this survey.  The system is based on reaching people via text messages to mobile phones.  Access to mobile phones is estimated at over 50% in the developing world and in some estimates goes even as high as 80%.

‘Texts from the Frontline’ has partnered with a commercial provider who has relationships with a large number of networks globally.  The system is able to issue SMS texts to a wide range of targeted recipients in countries in the developing world which are vulnerable to disaster and can gather their responses to specific questions.  In return, text survey recipients gain free credit on their mobile phones.

Click here for a brief presentation of the findings so far.