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Method Matters : Underreporting of Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria and Rwanda

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  • Cullen,Claire Alexis

Abstract

This paper analyzes the magnitude and predictors of misreporting on intimate partner and sexual violence in Nigeria and Rwanda. Respondents were randomly assigned to answer questions using one of three survey methods: an indirect method (list experiment) that gives respondents anonymity; a direct, self-administered method that increases privacy; and the standard, direct face-to-face method. In Rwanda, intimate partner violence rates increase by 100 percent, and in Nigeria, they increase by up to 39 percent when measured using the list method, compared with direct methods. Misreporting was associated with indicators often targeted in women's empowerment programs, such as gender norms and female employment and education. These results suggest that standard survey methods may generate significant underestimates of the prevalence of intimate partner violence and biased correlations and treatment effect estimates.

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  • Cullen,Claire Alexis, 2020. "Method Matters : Underreporting of Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria and Rwanda," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9274, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:9274
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    4. Lépine, Aurélia & Treibich, Carole & D’Exelle, Ben, 2020. "Nothing but the truth: Consistency and efficiency of the list experiment method for the measurement of sensitive health behaviours," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    5. Alina Greiner & Maximilian Filsinger, 2022. "(Dis)Trust in the Aftermath of Sexual Violence: Evidence from Sri Lanka," HiCN Working Papers 377, Households in Conflict Network.
    6. Perova,Elizaveta & Reynolds,Sarah Anne & Schmutte,Ian, 2021. "Does the Gender Wage Gap Influence Intimate Partner Violence in Brazil ? Evidence from Administrative Health Data," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9656, The World Bank.
    7. Sofia Amaral & Lelys Dinarte-Diaz & Patricio Dominguez & Steffanny Romero & Santiago M. Perez-Vincent, 2022. "Talk or Text? Evaluating Response Rates by Remote Survey Method during Covid-19," CESifo Working Paper Series 9517, CESifo.
    8. Cyprien Batut & Caroline Coly & Sarah Schneider-Strawczynski, 2021. "It's a man's world: culture of abuse, #MeToo and worker flows," Working Papers halshs-03403513, HAL.
    9. Marine JOUVIN, 2021. "Addressing social desirability bias in child labor measurement : an application to cocoa farms in Côte d’Ivoire," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2021-08, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    10. Jorge M. Agüero & Erica Field & Ignacio Rodriguez Hurtado & Javier Romero, 2024. "COVID-19, Job Loss, and Intimate Partner Violence in Peru," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(1), pages 1-35.
    11. Jorge M. Agüero & Veronica Frisancho, 2022. "Measuring Violence against Women with Experimental Methods," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(4), pages 1565-1590.
    12. Assefa, Thomas W. & Kadam, Aditi & Magnan, Nicholas & McCullough, Ellen & McGavock, Tamara, 2022. "Who is asking and how? The effects of enumerator gender and survey method in measuring intimate partner violence," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322543, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Perova,Elizaveta & Johnson,Erik Caldwell & Mannava,Aneesh & Reynolds,Sarah Anne & Teman,Alana Hinda, 2021. "Public Work Programs and Gender-Based Violence : Evidence from Lao PDR," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9691, The World Bank.
    14. Carolina Castilla & David M. A. Murphy, 2023. "Bidirectional intimate partner violence: Evidence from a list experiment in Kenya," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 175-193, January.
    15. McCulloch, Frances & Abramksy, Tanya & Lawi, Helena & Lees, Shelley & Mshana, Gerry & Kapiga, Saidi & Harvey, Sheila, 2023. "Factors associated with attendance to a participatory gender training programme – A secondary analysis of data from the MAISHA study," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

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