5.1 Answering your initial questions

In our case study, the research questions were as follows:

1. What are the demographics of the population in terms of age, gender and dependency ratio?
2. What are the most common unmet household basic needs due to lack of affordability and do households have multiple concurrent unmet needs?
3. What proportion of the population has access to improved WASH services and does it vary by region?
4. Do households have access to food security assistance, and does it vary by region?
5. What is the rate of food (in)security among households, and does it vary by region or access to food security assistance?
6. What are the primary sources of food among households and do households have access to markets?

As you can see from the analysis plan, we have tried to provide evidence towards answer these specific questions according to a number of different variables and types of analysis. Subsequently, the analysis tabs show the calculations and results of the analysis put forward in the analysis plan (including Excel syntax that you can review and apply).

If needed for reporting, you can answer the research questions in narrative form through describing the findings of the analysis. For example, for Question 2 could be answered as follows (‘What are the most common unmet household basic needs due to lack of affordability and do households have concurrent unmet needs?’):

Among the sample respondents, ‘saving money’, ‘health costs’ and ‘education’ were selected most frequently as the basic needs households cannot afford, at 88%, 67% and 65% respectively. The basic needs selected the least as unaffordable by households were ‘hygiene items, clothes, shoes’, ‘firewood/fuel’ and ‘water’, at 38%, 14% and 12%, respectively.

The survey further indicates that multiple basic needs are unaffordable concurrently for the sample population. Only 12% of the sample stated that the household basic needs were met. On average the sample household stated 5.4 household needs as unaffordable. However, the most commonly selected number of selected unaffordable basic needs by households was 9 (the mode was selected by 15 of the 92 household respondents).

Note: Selecting a need as unaffordable does not indicate the severity of the impacts of the need being unaffordable on households.