The survey, which follows international best practices, will assess poverty levels, household consumption patterns, and access to essential services such as healthcare and education. Data collected will also inform national development planning and contribute to the compilation of national household sector accounts, crucial for measuring economic growth and inflation.
Maureen Lubin, Statistician at the CSO and lead trainer for the survey, emphasized the importance of public cooperation in ensuring the success of this nationwide exercise.
“We’re encouraging everyone to be honest in their responses. The goal is to reduce poverty in Saint Lucia and enhance the standard of living for all,” Lubin stated. “Our enumerators have been well-trained and are now heading into communities, starting with the Degazon and Monier areas, to conduct pilot interviews.”
Enumerators, equipped with modern data collection technology, have undergone two weeks of intensive training to ensure accurate and efficient data gathering across the island.
Martha Joseph, also a trainer with the CSO, highlighted the survey’s extensive scope:
“It’s a sample survey that will run for one year, collecting quarterly data from selected households. We’re looking at spending habits, consumption, and satisfaction with essential services to better understand the realities faced by our citizens.”
The CSO stresses that public participation is crucial to the success of this effort, which aims to inform policy decisions that directly impact the nation’s socio-economic development.
Enumerator training concluded on Friday, April 4, 2025, and fieldwork is now officially underway.