Bo, Southern Sierra Leone — September 1, 2026 — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) have held a one-day orientation in Bo to prepare field staff for a nationwide Rapid Census Awareness Perception Survey. This exercise, held at the Hotel in Doha, aims at providing supervisors and enumerators with the technical skills, ethical guidance and procedural knowledge necessary to carry out a one-week survey to measure public awareness, confidence, knowledge and perceptions toward the forthcoming 2026 Population and Housing Census.
“The quick survey will play an important role in the overall Census communication plan,” Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communication and Public Relations at Statistics Sierra Leone said. He explained: “The findings will provide evidence for Stats SL and partners to help better understand current levels of awareness, identify misconceptions and gaps in information and develop targeted communication interventions to increase the public’s engagement ahead of the Census.” On behalf of the Statistician General, Andrew Bob Johnny and the wider management team, Mr Ansumana thanked UNFPA for its continued support to the Census communications and public outreach programs.
Baileh Molleh, a UNFPA consultant on the project, provided participants with practical training on the digital data collection tool and guided them through the Survey123 application that will be used to collect responses in the field. He stressed that the adult members of the selected households should be interviewed and that enumerators should operate only within the designated Enumeration Areas (EAs). He stressed the importance of obtaining informed consent before each interview, safeguarding the privacy of respondents, and following ethical guidelines during the entire data collection process.
During the orientation, trainers also reminded field workers about several important guidelines concerning conduct: do not share with neighbors or any other community members the answers that respondents provide; do not ask questions except to clarify answers and do so in an impartial manner; do not instruct or correct respondents, and do not get into arguments over rumors or political opinions; and do not promise any advantages or results to participants based on their participation. These guidelines were said to be critical for guaranteeing the integrity of the survey, and ensuring the information collected is a true reflection of public opinion.
Statistics Sierra Leone Principal Statistician and GIS Specialist Silleh Bah explained the sampling process and reasons for the selection of the locations. According to Mr Bah, the rapid survey intends to conduct 2,000 interviews during the exercise and 200 Enumeration Areas were purposely selected across the country. He provided technical information on the selection process and how the generated information will be used to inform priorities for public engagement and communication planning.
The sampling presentation was further complemented by Dr Foluke Adebayor, UNFPA Cartographic Consultant for the Census who elaborated on the sampling methodology, clarified issues around EA selection and highlighted problems encountered with the Survey123 application. Dr Adebayor also announced that GIS Mentor Ibrahim Kolapo will conduct practical technical sessions to resolve issues on the application and programming before the teams go to the field, to ensure that they are conversant with the digital instruments and mapping requirements. She further advised the team to maintain the highest level of integrity during the survey.
The survey having been fully discussed, the orientation was adjourned. To build common understanding and consistency in the interviewing techniques used by field teams, participants reviewed each question and the related data collection procedures. This final session was intended to ensure high-quality comparable data across the selected Enumeration Areas and to minimise interviewer variability.
The quick Census Awareness Perception Survey will provide timely and useful information on public views on the 2026 Population and Housing Census. Sierra Leone’s national census is approaching and its results will lead to better and evidence-based ways of communicating and engaging the public.
