Stakeholders are embarking on a Living Conditions Budgetary Survey.
The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, and Empowerment, in collaboration with the Central Statistical Office (CSO), is preparing to carry out the National Survey of Living Conditions and Household Budgetary Survey for the 2024/25 period.
This initiative aims to collect data to inform poverty reduction and social development policies. The previous survey, conducted in 2016, revealed a significant decrease in poverty from 20% to 25% of the population.
The upcoming survey, traditionally funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), will now benefit from the support of the World Bank under the OECS Data for Decision Making Project and the Human Capital Resilience Development Project.
In March, plans were made to conduct the survey, led by the Statistical Office. The focus will be on questionnaire review, enumerator training, pilot testing, and sample selection using the 2022/23 Population and Housing Census Data.
Sean Mathurin, CSO Director, emphasized the importance of this service as a key tool for understanding and addressing socio-economic challenges. He stressed that accurate data is essential for effective policy-making and resource allocation.
Mathurin noted that the survey on living conditions and household budgets is timely, given recent developments that have impacted the socio-economic landscape in Saint Lucia.
Commenting on the initiative, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Equity and Social Justice, Dr. Charmaine Hippolyte-Emmanuel, highlighted how the survey strengthens the department’s commitment to evidence-based policymaking.
Earlier this month, stakeholders held the second review workshop, which involved a comprehensive examination of the 2016 questionnaire.