InFocus Programme on Socio-Economic Security

People's Security Surveys (PSS)

See also our on-line questionnaire

WHY

WHAT

WHERE

DESIGN

OUTPUTS

PRESS COVERAGE

CONTACT

WHY	Insecurity is partly objective, partly subjective. To develop a strategy for reducing socio economic insecurity, it is necessary to consider both objective and subjective indicators of security. While it may be relatively easy to create objective indices of socio economic security, to create sound indicators that capture subjective elements of socio economic security, effort has to be made to find out what people in different parts of the world, from different social and demographic groups, perceive as the extent of their security or insecurity. It was with this purpose that IFP SES launched its PSS in mid 2000. The objective of the PSS is therefore to: Provide an improved understanding of perceived needs of people for policies and institutional support to provide them with basic security. Enable the creation of a Decent Work Index, which is crucial to ILO's work. Provide important information that can be used to flag security concerns of workers in ILO Reports and other documents.
WHAT	These surveys examine both objective and subjective elements of people's security. The questions probe the following: Socio economic situation of respondent and her/his household People's perceptions of insecurity and security Sources of socio economic insecurity for different social and demographic groups Actual knowledge with regard to policies Perceptions with regard to policies relating to socio economic security Coping mechanisms
WHERE	Argentina Bangladesh Brazil Chile China Ethiopia Ghana India Indonesia Hungary Pakistan Russia South Africa Tanzania Ukraine In November 2001, a conference was held in the ILO to discuss the preliminary results of these surveys, ways and means of improving the questionnaires and the survey, and policy implications that arise from these surveys.
DESIGN	The PSS contain about 100 questions - some common to all respondents, and some to specific worker or social groups. A set of core questions are asked in all the PSS. In addition there are questions about specific issues that are important in the context of the country and/or the socio economic group that the PSS targets. The questionnaires are divided into sections by the seven types of securities that the IFP/SES monitors (except three Latin American surveys). In addition, there are sections on: Background characteristics - these refer to a respondent's age, marital status and household characteristics. Basic security - Basic security is analysed in these surveys in terms of access to adequate food, health care, shelter and access to water. Social justice - these set of questions explore people's sense of social justice since these perceptions are closely linked to the sense of anxiety and distributive justice that underlies insecurity.
OUTPUTS	Economic Security for a Better World Programme on Socio-Economic Security, September 2004 Income (In)Security in Argentina Alberto C. Barbeito and Rubén M. Lo Vuolo, January 2003 Organizing for Socio-Economic Security in India Sukti Dasgupta, October 2002 Coping with Insecurity: The Ukrainian People's Security Survey Guy Standing and László Zsoldos, June 2001
PRESS COVERAGE	"Economic Insecurity drags on in Ukraine" Survey shows millions in distress - Conference in Kiev reviews results Special issue on socio-economic security, International Labour Review Volume 141, No.4
CONTACT	Florence Bonnet, E:mail: bonnet@ilo.org
	Updated by LD. Approved by GS. Last update: 16 December 2003.