Data

Data

This chapter relies on data from five household surveys implemented in Algeria,Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and the Republic of Yemen. The same household survey instrument was used in all countries with minor adjustments for country context.In each country, 800 households were interviewed. The survey questionnaire was designed by a World Bank team, and the surveys were implemented in the five countries by Rand in collaboration with local partners.In Algeria, the survey was implemented in the prefectures of Djelfa andM’sila. Djelfa is in the north-central part of Algeria, while M’Sila is in the northern part. The sites were selected based on reported high sensitivity to desertification and with input from the Algerian government. For example, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and National Center for Spatial Techniques, 62 percentof M’Sila province is classified as “sensitive” or “very sensitive” to desertification.The sample size of 800 families was equally split across the two prefectures.In Egypt, we selected two Governorates: Dakhalia and Sharqia. Dakhalia isnorth-east of Cairo, while Sharqia is in the northern part of the country. The total sample of 800 interviews was distributed equally across the two governorates. Within each governorate, the selection of villages was dictated by the Egyptian government authority that was approving the survey work (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency). There were nine villages selected in Dakhalia, and 16 villages inSharqia. A total of 400 interviews were conducted in each governorate. In Morocco, two regions (Al-Gharb, Chichaoua) were selected based on the extent of environmental degradation due either recent disasters or longer-termprocesses. Within each region, 10 areas or strata were constructed across the entire region. We considered each area (town) selected as its own stratum, andthe 10 strata to be overall representative of the region. There were 40 household interviews completed per stratum, under an equal allocation design.In Syria we selected the governorates of Haleakala in the northeast and DeirEzzor in the east. Within Alhasaka, six areas/provinces and 20 villages wareselected from two of the four districts. Some areas in Alhasaka were not eligiblefor inclusion due to safety concerns, no relevant climate/weather impacts, and language issues for areas that bordered Iraq. In Deir Ezzor, 10 areas/provinces and16 villages were selected. These areas/provinces represented all three districts inDeir Ezzor. Interviews were divided equally between the two governorates. In the Republic of Yemen, we selected the governorates of Taiz in the south and Hudayda in the western region. The governorates were chosen because of their exposure to environmental degradation and high rates of migration due to environmental reasons. The sample of 800 interviews was allocated according to population size (58 percent in Taiz and 42 percent in Hudayda. The interviews were completed in 15 villages within Taiz and 11 villages within Hudayda. The survey questionnaire included a total of 17 sections. This chapter focuses on part of the data collected in section five on perceptions related to extreme weather events and climate change, and in section eight on adverse events.Specifically, the analysis focuses on household answers to four questions (data from the other sections are used for the regression analysis).First, households were first asked: “Compared to 5 years ago, have you noticed any changes in the weather patterns in the following way?” For each of a dozen types of potential changes in weather patterns, households could answer “yes,”