AIDSQuest: The HIV/AIDS Survey Library
Topic K: Sociodemographics

Overview
An important section of most HIV-related surveys includes questions concerning the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population. These questions allow you to link the background of each individual to the outcome in question. For example, the use of sociodemographic questions enables a researcher to take an outcome such as condom use, and stratify or segregate the data by characteristics such as gender or age.

As with other types of questions, it is important to keep comparability in mind when designing a survey. This is especially true if you are going to ask similar questions within the same survey or study, or if you will want to compare your results to other studies. For example:

• Age questions can be asked in different ways: “How old are you?” and “What year were you born?” may be asked in the same questionnaire, but the responses might not match, affecting the validity of the data.

• Education questions may ask “How many years of school have you completed?” and “Have you completed primary school?” Again, the information yielded will possess different information and levels of accuracy—making some comparisons invalid.

This topic had been divided into two sections: Individual characteristics and Household characteristics. Typical sociodemographic indicators for each section are as follows:

Individual characteristics

• Age: Age in months is preferable for recording ages for young children (2–3 digit response). Other ages may be elicited by asking the respondent their age in years or age at their last birthday (2 digit response).

• Area of residence: The size of the target group plays a large role in formulating questions. National/regional surveys may begin with distinguishing between rural/urban residences, subsequently identifying residential region/district/village (depending upon goals and target group). Many sample questions also elicit time span of residential stay at that location to prevent error.

• Education: Questions investigating the years spent in education (2 digit response) are useful, and there are several ways level of education can be asked. Most often, questions will ask whether the respondent has completed “primary/elementary” and/or “secondary/high school” levels.

• Literacy: It is controversial to correlate level of education with literacy. A more accurate measure of the respondent’s literacy may be to have them read a paragraph or pre-prepared card, then allow the interviewer to rate their reading skill.

• Religion: Careful research and pre-testing are important for determining which religion categories appear on an instrument. The local importance and behavioral differences of certain religious denominations vary greatly in different regions of the world.

• Ethnicity/Tribe: Again, research and pre-testing in the area of study is important for determining the categories/answer options of these questions.

Household characteristics

• People in the household: Often household charts or specific forms are used to obtain information on the names, relations, and number of family members living in household units. Individual questions can be worded to accommodate extended and adopted family members.

• Water source: Questions about water sources and hygiene are often used as a socioeconomic indicator or a potential causal factor of diarrhea. They also may be helpful in HIV studies involving mother-to-child transmission, where they can help determine the vulnerability of a population that is considering the use of breast milk substitutes.

• Household income: Several questions may be used to help determine income or socioeconomic status. Potential questions include: land ownership and/or land use, type of roofing or floor material in the house, types of water sources and/or sanitation facilities, radio and/or television ownership, presence of household electricity, bicycle ownership, and employment. These questions—in combination with negotiation and power questions—can also help researchers investigating power and decision-making relationships in the household.

Examples of sociodemographic survey questions have been drawn from the following surveys:

1. Individual characteristics 

• MEASURE DHS+—AIDS Module

• UNAIDS/MEASURE Evaluation—HIV/AIDS Prevention Indicator Survey

• FHI—Behavioral Surveillance Surveys

2. Household characteristics

• MEASURE DHS+—AIDS Module

• Horizons—Transition to Adulthood in the Context of HIV/AIDS

• UNAIDS/MEASURE Evaluation—HIV/AIDS Prevention Indicator Survey

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This page updated 21 August 2006

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