iGA Advances 2024 Household Income and Expenditure Survey to Aid Policy Decisions

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) is pushing forward with its Household Income and Expenditure Survey for 2024. This initiative aims to build a thorough database on household income and spending patterns for both citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The goal is to equip policymakers with the data they need to craft effective economic, social, and environmental strategies. The survey involves over 6,000 randomly selected households and runs from January to December 2024.

The iGA has stressed the need for active participation from the selected households in the latter half of the year to ensure the project’s success. Households are encouraged to provide accurate information to the survey team. All collected data will be handled with the highest standards of confidentiality and personal data protection. The authority has thanked the 3,161 households that have already taken part in the first half of the year.

The process begins with a call from the survey's contact centre (17878070) to schedule an appointment, followed by three to four visits from a researcher to complete the forms. Participants can recognise the field researchers by their blue vests with the authority's logo and their ID cards. Verification can also be done via the official website www.iga.gov.bh or by scanning the QR code on the ID card. Researchers will also carry an official letter from the authority’s Population & Demographic Statistics Directorate.

The iGA has noted the beneficial effects of field visits, marketing campaigns, awareness workshops, and lectures in increasing public understanding of the survey's importance. In appreciation of participating households, the authority recently held a monthly draw for those who completed all three forms from January to May 2024, awarding prizes with the support of project partners. These monthly draws will continue as a way to honour the remaining participating households.