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Survey: Stakeholders’ Views on the Migration and Development Data that they Need |
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Thursday, 18 December 2008 |
Academics and demographers belonging to a nonprofit grant-making foundation, the Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD), have suggested that the Institute for Migration and Development Issues should hear the views of various stakeholders to know the kind of international migration and development data that they need. Knowing these stakeholders’ data needs will make the Statistical Almanac more useful to them.
Given the limited resources available for this Migration and Development Statistical Almanac project, the Institute handed out a one-page survey to some identified migration and development stakeholders. Most of the 13 respondents of that small survey are nonprofit workers and academics. The limitation here is that the views expressed herein do not represent the views of a big sample, like any well-funded survey project can do. This small survey was done while the statistics were being encoded and validated.
These respondents said they are using international migration statistics for the following purposes: training, education and awareness-raising; policy research and analysis; advocacy work; program and project development; making evidence-based claims; monitoring and evaluation; and for some specific purposes pending on group’s specific areas of work.
These same survey respondents also gave the following observations:
- All of them were dissatisfied with the international migration data that is currently available. Among the reasons cited for respondents’ dissatisfaction include: a) no regular updating; b) inconsistencies and contradictions from the data; c) “incomplete” datasets; d) different definitions and categories of who are those overseas Filipinos; e) late releases of such datasets; e) unsubstantiated estimates on migration flows; f) lack of gender disaggregated datasets; g) no local datasets on international migration and overseas Filipinos; h) presence of “unreliable” data sources and “unrealistic” data; and i) the presence of variances of such datasets on overseas Filipinos that come from various sources;
- While almost all respondents were aware that data on Filipinos’ international migration come from various sources, just above half of respondents have never tried harmonizing or putting together these datasets;
- Almost all respondents assessed that international migration statistics are “difficult” to generate (with three respondents generating these statistics are saying “very difficult”);
- One of four respondents said the “methodological soundness of data capturing by government agencies” is the most important in the use of international migration statistics. One of six said that “easy access” of the data, and having “gender-disaggregated data” is the most important;
- When respondents were told that the Statistical Almanac will contain provincial-level data, almost all of them said they will use the data. Half of those who said they will use the data also said that “they will not rely on that provincial dataset always”; and
- Respondents are very interested in the following international migration-related datasets: (Philippine data) overseas migration flows and sizes; income and remittances; (Overseas countries’ data) total flows of emigrants and immigrants per country; total number of Filipinos in the said country; and total cash remittance flows from the said country to the Philippines.
These same survey respondents have provided various suggestions to improve the country’s international migration statistical system:
- Making the statistics accessible to the broadest audiences possible;
- Providing data on some specific variables (and even on international migration dynamics that can be hopefully quantified, were also suggested for inclusion in future data capturing activities. Examples include missing demographic variables (e.g. civil status, religious affiliation, quantifying the social costs of migration);
- Conscious effort at making the data disaggregated by gender;
- A framework on international migration statistics be developed to clearly establish the “real data” from the “estimates”. On that score, the mandates of institutions as regards international migration statistics should be reviewed while an oversight body that will look at the integrity of these statistics be formed;
- Resources (financial, human, technological) should be funneled to improve the ways in capturing and presenting international migration statistics;
- International migration statistics should be updated, synchronized, and presented periodically;
- Other relevant agencies should be more involved in the country’s international migration statistical system (e.g. Bureau of Immigration), even while other migration-related dynamics that are excluded by the data capturing agencies should be factored in;
- Localized datasets should be made available (e.g. per Philippine province); and
- Having a publicly-available databank on overseas Filipinos statistics
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