RAPID GENDERASSESSMENT
ON THE IMPACT
VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMENTECHNICAL REPORT - UKRAINE SURVEY FIELDWORK
MAY - JUNE 2021

1 Introduction
Prompted by strong concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the risk of different forms ofviolence against women and girls, particularly intimate partner/domestic violence, and realizing the need tocollect reliable data that are in line with methodological, safety and ethical standards, UN Womencommissioned Ipsos to conduct a study on the impact of COVID-19 on women’s well-being and safety in 13
countries across several regions all over the world. The participating countries were Albania, Bangladesh,
Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand andUkraine.
The core objectives of the study were to:•collect data on the impacts of COVID-19 on violence against women in low- and middle-income
countries.

•

strengthen measurement and methodologies for violence against women data collection and use.

•strengthen available knowledge on all forms of violence against women and improve capacities tocollect, analyse and use data on violence against women in accordance with globally agreed
methodological, safety and ethical standards.

•

inform where the policy and programmatic response of UN Women should focus and support
UN system-wide efforts to scale up actions to address violence against women in the context of
COVID-19.

The following groups contributed to the project’s management and execution:1.

the UN Women project team, comprising statisticians, researchers and policy specialists;

2. the Technical Advisory Group – an external reference group established by UN Women to provide
independent technical advice and expertise to the project;
3. the Ipsos project team involved in the set-up and delivery of the study; and4. national fieldwork partners.

1

Methodology of the study
Target group
TimingData collection method

Women aged 18 +•Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)•

Random probability sampling with monitoring of quota on age andregion•Random-digit dialling to mobile sample frames•

1,200 women aged 18+ per country•

Target duration of max. 20 minutes•

No open-ended answers•

Informed consent asked to each participant at the beginning of theinterview•

Awareness of safety, privacy and confidentiality of women respondents•

Guided by the “do no harm” principle applicable to the women
respondents and the interviewers/research team•The questionnaire was adapted in each country by localizing
characters’ names and cultural references (i.e., popular food, music,
sports).

Sampling approach

Sample Size

Questionnaire length andtype

Two-phased approach: Phase I (four countries) took place May–June
2021; Phase II (nine countries) took place August–September 2021

ScriptingCentral scripting in software applications - iField and Dimensions

Language

At least one main language per country

The country chapters provide information on the set-up of the data collection process (obtaining of ethicalclearance, sampling and translation), description of the fieldwork, main characteristics of the achieved
sample by several indicators (age group, region, area type, educational attainment), technical information(interview duration, contact outcomes, screen-outs, temporary interview suspension at safety questions,survey dropouts, use of safety word, and item non-response), key field observations and relevant lessons
and recommendations.

22 Country information
2.1

Ukraine2.1.1 Obtaining ethical clearance
UN Women sought general support or tacit approval for the study from the Government Commissioner for
Gender Policy in Ukraine. A ‘no objection’ was obtained on 30 March 2021. (Sociological/research surveys thatwill not be part of official statistics do not require the prior approval of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine).

2.1.2 Sampling plan
A single-frame cell-phone random-digit dialing (RDD) survey design was used to reach a nationally
representative sample of women aged 18+. The sample mirrored the telephone database distribution (framesize) by provider.1 The gross (unscreened) sample included numbers for each of the providers in the country
to the same proportions as in the frame size. In 2018, 88% of Ukraine’s population had a mobile subscription.2
Of the 150,000,000 numbers available in the sample frame, 54,842,900 (37%) were expected to be working
numbers (based on cell subscriptions in 2019). The sample was pulsed, meaning that a signal was sent to
the randomly generated phone number to verify if the number existed (i.e., if a connection could beachieved). The upfront pulsing of the gross sample closely reflected the market shares of the different
operators (in terms of subscriptions). The sample was also screened against business registers so as to
exclude numbers that were used by companies. Further details on the sampling frame are provided in
section 2.4.1 of the main technical report.
To ensure a representative sample, quotas were set on age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60+) and region(first-level administrative division), using the following statistical sources:•

Age: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. 2020. Resident population of Ukraine by sex and age on
January 1, 2020.3•

Region: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. 2020. Resident population of Ukraine by sex and age on
January 1, 2020.4

1 Mob 10,000,000; Intertelecom 10,000,000; Kyivstar 50,000,000; Lifecell 30,000,000; Telesystems of Ukraine 10,000,000; Vodafone Ukraine

40,000,000.
2 GSMA. 2020. Mobile Economy 2020. https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/wpcontent/uploads/2020/03/GSMA_MobileEconomy2020_RussiaCIS_Eng.pdf
3 https://ukrstat.org/en/druk/publicat/kat_u/2020/zb/06/roz_nas20.pdf
4 https://ukrstat.org/en/druk/publicat/kat_e/publnasel_e.htm

32.1.3 Translation
The questionnaire was translated into Ukrainian and Russian.
Ukraine has experienced no “curfews/restrictions” as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, and there isno equivalent to “security agents” in the country. Therefore, neither terms were translated for inclusion in
C09 (“Have you personally experienced violence or threats of violence, abuse or harassment specifically by
the police or security agents in the context of implementing restrictions to respond to COVID-19 (movement
restriction, curfew, closure of certain premises?”). No other issues related to equivalence (conceptual
equivalence, semantic equivalence, etc.) were encountered during translation.
The questionnaire required localization for several items in the text of the questions and answers, including
widely known, yet neutral in meaning, male and female names, which were used in the vignettes in the
Safety Section of the survey. In Ukraine, the male and female names used were Андрей and Мария (Russian);and Андрій and Марія (Ukrainian).

2.1.4 Fieldwork period
Fieldwork took place between 5 May and 11 June 2021, with a total of 44 interviewers working on the project
over this period. The first two weeks of fieldwork coincided with various public holidays: Labour Day (01/05),
Orthodox Easter Day (02/05), Orthodox Easter Monday (03/05), Labour Day (in lieu) (04/05), Victory Day(09/05) and Victory Day (in lieu) (10/05). Fieldwork progress during these two weeks was very slow since
women were less available for an interview, being occupied with other activities. From week three (17 May)
onwards, weekly fieldwork progress improved and was relatively stable across the weeks. Still, the field team
faced consistently high refusal rates and also encountered a large proportion of men as phone-owners in thesample.

2.1.5 Achieved sample
In total, 1,205 valid interviews were completed in Ukraine. For the most part, the distribution of the sample
across age groups was in line with the targets, with the exception of the 60+ age group where the numberof completed interviews was 7 percentage points below the set target.
Table 1: Achieved sample, by age group (Ukraine)

Age group

TargetTarget %Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %5

Difference
unweighted %vs. target %Difference
weighted %vs. target %

18–29

168

14%

197

16%

14%

2%

0%

30–39

216

18%

243

20%

18%

2%

0%

40–49

204

17%

224

19%

17%

2%

0%

50–59

204

17%

210

17%

17%

0%

0%

60+

408

34%

331

27%

34%

-7%

0%

5 Weighting procedures are discussed in more detail in section 4.4.2 of the main technical report.

4

In terms of the regional quotas, the field team had difficulties reaching the target in the West and Centre
regions, where the achieved sample was within 5 and 2 percentage points, respectively, below the set targets,for
Table 2: Achieved sample, by region (Ukraine)

RegionTargetTarget %Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %Difference
unweighted %vs. target %6

Difference
weighted % vs.
target %Centre

146

12%

123

10%

12%

-2%

0%

East

412

34%

442

37%

34%

2%

0%

Kyiv

83

7%

103

9%

7%

2%

0%

North

146

12%

152

13%

12%

1%

0%

South

127

11%

161

13%

11%

3%

0%

West

286

24%

224

19%

24%

-5%

0%

The distribution across rural (22% weighted) and urban (78% weighted) areas (as self-reported byrespondents) was relatively close to data from the World Bank estimating a total rural population of 31%.7 Of
course, it needs to be borne in mind that a cell phone sampling frame was used. Latest available datasuggests that mobile Internet use in low- and middle-income countries – which can be used as an indicator
for cell phone use in general – stands at 34% in rural areas, compared to 54% in urban areas. There is also agender gap in mobile Internet use: In 2019, women were 20% less likely than men to use mobile Internet.8
Table 3: Achieved sample, by area type (Ukraine)
Area

Completed (unweighted)

Completed % (unweighted)

Weighted %

Urban

955

79%

78%

Rural

250

21%

22%

A high proportion of the sample had attended a tertiary education programme (56% weighted),9 while just
1% had completed only primary school education or had no formal education (weighted).

6 The figures in this column reflect the actual difference of the unweighted and target percentages. Any variations are caused by the rounding up of
the percentages in the table.
7 World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.
8 GSMA. 2020. The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2020. https://www.gsma.com/r/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GSMA-State-of-MobileInternet-Connectivity-Report-2020.pdf
9 Women’s tertiary school enrolment in Ukraine in 2014 was 89%. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (uis.unesco.org). Data as of September 2020.

5

Table 4: Achieved sample, by educational attainment (Ukraine)
Area

Completed (unweighted)

Completed % (unweighted)

Weighted %No formal education

3

0%

0%

Completed primary school

13

1%

1%

Completed secondary school

91

7%

8%

Technical & vocational training

404

34%

35%

Completed university/college

681

57%

55%

Completed post- graduate studies

13

1%

1%

Don't know

0

0%

0%

Refused00%0%2.1.6 Quality control and data processing
No interviews were removed from the sample because they did not meet the quality criteria in terms oflength, straight-lining and/or item non-response. (Section 4.4 of the main technical report provides a detailed
description of the implemented quality control procedures and how data were processed).

2.1.7 Technical information
The interview duration was considerably above the envisaged 20 minutes, at 28 minutes on average(compared with a mean of 25 minutes across the four countries). Introductory parts and longer question texts(such as the vignettes) were longer in Ukrainian and Russian than in English.
Table 5: Interview duration (Ukraine)
MeanMedianStandard deviation

27.59

25.58

9.25

The response rate in Ukraine was 5%, calculated using the first American Association for Public Opinion
Research (AAPOR) definition of response rate – that is, the number of complete interviews divided by the
number of interviews (complete plus partial) plus the number of non-interviews (refusal and break-off plus
non-contacts plus others) plus all cases of unknown eligibility (unknown if housing unit, plus unknown,other).10 The table below shows the incidence of each outcome code.

10 AAPOR. 2015. Standard Definitions. https://www.aapor.org/AAPOR_Main/media/MainSiteFiles/Standard-Definitions2015_8thEd.pdf

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Table 6: Contact outcomes (Ukraine)
Contact outcomesCount% of all outcomes

Fixed appointment

353

1%

Soft appointment

1, 992

5%

Incomplete interview with call-back to resume later72

0%

Telephone answering device / voicemail / message service

3, 96010%

Busy / engaged

1, 9495%

No answer

12, 165

31%

Complete

1, 205

3%

Screen-out

10, 304

27%

Incomplete interview with no call-back (terminated)

188

0%

Immediate refusal (before eligibility of respondent has been confirmed)

4, 477

12%

Refusal by eligible respondent (after eligibility of respondent has been
confirmed, but before the actual interview started)

48

0%

Respondent never available for appointment

200%

Deceased respondent

30%

Respondent physically or mentally unable / incompetent

360%Respondent or household language problem

160%Call blocking / barring / do not call list

156

0%

Fax / data line / modem / pager

210%

Non-working / disconnected / dead / bad number

1, 7004%

Non-residential number (business, government office, other organization)

58

0%

Technical issue / CATI system error

760%Table 7 provides an overview of specific call outcomes (completed interview, partial interview and refusals)
by the time of day (morning, afternoon, evening) and day of the week. The figures should be interpreted withcaution, as they do not reflect the percentage of all contact attempts performed during this time/on thatday, but the split of these specific outcomes across the time of day/day of the week. Feedback from the fieldteam on the best time and the best day to obtain an interview is provided in section 2.1.8.

7

Table 7: Call outcome, by time of the day and day of the week (Ukraine)

SundayMondayTuesday

WednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayCompleted interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Morning

9

1%

3

1%

16

2%

Afternoon

39

3%

5

2%

42

6%

Evening

13

1%

6

3%

9

1%

Morning

31

3%

2

1%

24

4%

Afternoon

95

8%

18

8%

67

10%

Evening

41

3%

9

4%

9

1%

Morning

27

2%

6

3%

26

4%

Afternoon

130

11%

12

6%

73

11%

Evening

33

3%

6

3%

7

1%

Morning

33

3%

8

4%

23

3%

Afternoon

211

18%

34

16%

79

12%

Evening

52

4%

9

4%

17

3%

Morning

43

4%

8

4%

26

4%

Afternoon

178

15%

33

15%

90

14%

Evening

33

3%

9

4%

7

1%

Morning

27

2%

2

1%

26

4%

Afternoon

108

9%

19

9%

61

9%

Evening

27

2%

7

3%

5

1%

Morning

13

1%

2

1%

25

4%

Afternoon

45

4%

11

5%

26

4%

Evening

17

1%

5

2%

5

1%

More than half (55%) of the sample called were men and thus screened out at the very beginning of thesurvey. Three per cent were screened out because they were below 18 years old. Thereafter, a quarter (25%)
of the women who answered the screener questions on sex and age said that they were not willing toparticipate in the survey (at S1). A further 90 women were screened out because they did not understand the
purpose of the survey and confidentiality measures – a much higher number than in the other three survey
countries.

8

Table 8: Screen-outs (Ukraine)
Question

AnswerCount% of total answered

S3

Sex: Male

4,169

55%

S4_1

Age: Below 18 years

95

3%

S1

Willing to participate: No

771

25%

S6

Understand purpose: No

88

0%

S7

Understand confidentiality: No

20%

The interview was temporarily discontinued in 71 cases because the respondent answered “no” to one of thefive ‘safety’ questions (listed in the 0 below). This figure too was much higher than that observed in the otherthree Phase I survey countries.
Table 9: Temporary interview suspension due to responses to safety questions (Ukraine)
Question

AnswerCount% of total
answeredS2

Can you let me know if the speaker phone is off? No

19

1%

S5

Can you confirm if now is a good time? No

34

2%

B01

Can you confirm that there is no one around you over the age of 2 that canoverhear our conversation? No

8

1%

C18

Alternatively, if someone over age 2 is listening to our call or is nearby that
can hear, please say no. No

9

1%

C27

If someone over the age of 2 is listening to our call or is nearby that canhear, please say no. No

10%

A total of 214 respondents dropped out of the survey, which is again considerably more than in the othersurvey countries. The table below shows the questions at which the dropouts occurred. The relatively highnumber of dropouts at S9 (the district the respondent lived in) and S11 (whether the respondent lived in arural or urban area) may simply reflect a spontaneous decision at the beginning of the survey not to continue,
rather than any particular concerns on the part of respondents about the nature of these questions. The
other dropouts occurred throughout the questionnaire, though higher numbers were observed at the end ofsection A and the beginning of section B, as well as at the ‘safety’ questions (B01, C18, C27).

9

Table 10: Survey dropouts, by question (Ukraine)

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

S9

And what district do you live in?

31

14.5%

S11

Would you consider the area you live in to be urban or rural?

16

7.5%

A01

What is your marital status?

4

1.9%

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

4

1.9%

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each day...?

5

2.3%

A04

In addition to this, do you do any activity that generates an income,even if only for a few hours a week?

3

1.4%

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing(even when wearing classes), hearing (even with hearing assistance),
remembering or concentrating, self-caring or communicating?

2

0.9%

A06

How many people including yourself, live in your household?

6

2.8%

A07

How many of the people living in your household are age 0–17?

2

0.9%

A08

How many of the people living in your household are elderly, aged 65
or over? Please include yourself if that is appropriate.

1

0.5%

A09

Who do you consider to be the head of your household?

2

0.9%

A10

What was the monthly income of your household BEFORE COVID-19?

8

3.7%

A11

Has this changed at all in the past year?

6

2.8%

A12

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack ofmoney or other resources, you or others in your household…

12

5.6%

B01

Before we begin this section, can you confirm that there is no one
around you over the age of 2 that can overhear our conversation?

11

5.1%

B02

For each question, I will ask how often you thought or felt a certain way– please answer with never, almost never, sometimes, fairly often, orvery often. In the last month, how often did you feel…

17

7.9%

B03

Thinking about these topics I've mentioned, would you say the COVID19 situation has made these difficulties better, worse or the same?

1

0.5%

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g.,stress, anxiety, confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF
COVID-19?

1

0.5%

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone in thearea where you live during the day?

3

1.4%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone in thearea where you live at night?

2

0.9%

10

%of total
dropped out
respondents

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out%of total
dropped out
respondents

C05

Discrimination happens when you are treated less favourablycompared to others or harassed because of your sex, age, disability,
socioeconomic status, place of residence, political opinion or any othercharacteristics. Have you personally experienced any form of
discrimination against you SINCE COVID-19?

4

1.9%

C06

Do you feel that discrimination, prejudice or racism in the area where
you live have changed SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

3

1.4%

C07

To what extent do you think that violence, abuse or harassment is aproblem in the area where you live?

4

1.9%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse or harassment in thearea where you live have changed SINCE COVID-19?

3

1.4%

C10

How common do you think this story is for women in the area where
you live?

6

2.8%

C11

Would you say COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same for[Scripter: insert Female name] from this story?

4

1.9%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

4

1.9%

C14

How common do you think this story is for women in the area where
you live?

2

0.9%

C15

Would you say COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same for[Scripter: insert Female name] from this story in terms of her feelingsof safety?

3

1.4%

C16

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

1

0.5%

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

2

0.9%

C18

Just to make sure, before we continue, can you confirm that there is no
one around you over the age of 2 that can overhear our conversation?

10

4.7%

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usually shareboth good and bad moments. And it is normal for people who live
together to have arguments. How often in the last six months would
you say that adults in your household have argued or have had some
sort of conflict among themselves?

4

1.9%

11

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out%of total
dropped out
respondents

C20

Would you say COVID-19 has made conflict between adults in yourhousehold more frequent, less frequent or about the same?

3

1.4%

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

4

1.9%

C22

Would you say COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same interms of how safe you feel in your home?

1

0.5%

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house in the last month?

1

0.5%

C25

Do you still continue to see or speak with your friends and socialgroups?

1

0.5%

C27

If you are alone, please say yes. If someone over 2 is listening to our callor is nearby that can hear, please say no.

3

1.4%

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19:

4

1.9%

C30

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know
experienced SINCE THE START OF COVID-19?

4

1.9%

C31

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could
do for women suffering from violence during the pandemic?

5

2.3%

S12

And as a final question, I would like to know if you have another mobile
phone number besides the one I am calling you on? IF YES: How manyother mobile phone numbers do you have?

1

0.5%

Total

214

100%

As previously explained, and as part of the safety protocols, respondents were given a safe word, a specificpopular local food (PLF), that they could use if they were disturbed by a third party or otherwise felt unsafe
at any point during the interview. In Ukraine, the food used was “БОРЩ” (borsch). This word was used 19
times during the course of fieldwork. The table below shows the questions at which this occurred.

12

Table 10: Use of popular local food, per question (Ukraine)
Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

A01

What is your marital status?

1

A07

How many of the people living in your household are age 0–17?

1

A12

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…

1

B02

For each question, I will ask how often you thought or felt a certain way – pleaseanswer with never, almost never, sometimes, fairly often, or very often. In the lastmonth, how often did you feel…
1. … that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
2. … confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?
3. … difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

1

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g. stress, anxiety,confidence, etc.) has been affected AS RESULT OF COVID-19?

1

C05

Discrimination happens when you are treated less favourably compared to others or
harassed because of your sex, age, disability, socioeconomic status, place ofresidence, political opinion or any other characteristics. Have you personallyexperienced any form of discrimination against you SINCE COVID-19?

1

C07

To what extent do you think that violence, abuse or harassment are a problem in thearea where you live?

1

C10

How common do you think this story is for women in the area where you live?

2

C16

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for this situation?

1

C19

How often in the last six months would you say that adults in your household haveargued or have had some sort of conflict among themselves?

1

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

1

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

1

C31

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic?

1
4

Unknown
Total

19

In terms of item non-response (INR), this varied across the survey but was highest at C03 (16%), C04 (14%)
and C12 (10%). For all other questions, INR was below 10%.

13

Table 11: Item non-response (Ukraine)
Question

Question text

Item nonresponse

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each day…?

0.08%

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing (even when wearingclasses), hearing (even with hearing assistance), remembering or concentrating, selfcaring or communicating?

0.17%

A08

How many of the people living in your household are elderly, aged 65 or over? Please
include yourself if that is appropriate.

0.08%

A09

Who do you consider to be the head of your household?

1.58%

A10

What was the monthly income of your household BEFORE COVID-19?

9.46%

A11

Has this changed at all in the past year?

1.33%

A12_1

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…were worried you would not have enoughfood to eat?

0.08%

A12_2

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…were unable to eat healthy and nutritious
food?

1.33%

A12_3

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…ate only a few kinds of food?

0.50%

A12_4

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…had to skip a meal?

0.33%

A12_5

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…ate less than you thought you should?

0.83%

A12_6

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…ran out of food?

0.41%

A12_7

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…were hungry but did not eat?

0.33%

A12_8

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…went without eating for a whole day?

0.25%

B02_1

In the last month, how often did you feel…that you were unable to control theimportant things in your life?

1.16%

B02_2

In the last month, how often did you feel…confident about your ability to handle yourpersonal problems?

1.49%

B02_3

In the last month, how often did you feel…difficulties were piling up so high that you
could not overcome them?

0.17%

B03

Thinking about these topics I've mentioned, would you say the COVID-19 situation has
made these difficulties better, worse or the same?

1.99%

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g., stress, anxiety,confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF COVID-19?

0.66%

14

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone in the area where you live
during the day?

0.66%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone in the area where you liveat night?

16.43%

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at night changed SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19?

13.61%

C05

Discrimination happens when you are treated less favourably compared to others or
harassed because of your sex, age, disability, socioeconomic status, place of residence,
political opinion or any other characteristics. Have you personally experienced any formof discrimination against you SINCE COVID-19?

0.66%

C06

Do you feel that discrimination, prejudice or racism in the area where you live havechanged SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

2.07%

C07

To what extent do you think that violence, abuse or harassment is a problem in the area
where you live?

6.56%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse or harassment in the area where youlive have changed SINCE COVID-19?

6.80%

C10

How common do you think this story is for women in the area where you live?

8.96%

C11

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same for[Scripter: insert Female name] from this story?

5.23%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for this situation?

10.21%

C13

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

0.83%

C14

How common do you think this story is for women in the area where you live?

6.14%

C15

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same for[Scripter: insert Female name] from this story in terms of her feelings of safety?

5.06%

C16

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for this situation?

8.22%

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

0.83%

C19

How often in the last six months would you say that adults in your household haveargued or have had some sort of conflict among themselves?

0.91%

C20

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict between adults in yourhousehold more frequent, less frequent or about the same?

2.74%

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

0.17%

C22

Would you say COVID-19 has made things better, worse or the same in terms of how
safe you feel in your home?

0.66%

C23_1

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? I have a serious medical condition or disability
and feel vulnerable

0.17%

C23_3

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? I am unable to communicate/reach out for help

0.17%

C23_7

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? There is verbal abuse in my home

0.08%

15

C23_11

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? Something else

0.33%

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house in the last month?

0.25%

C25

Do you still continue to see or speak with your friends and social groups?

0.25%

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

0.50%

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

0.08%

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

0.25%

C29B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true SINCE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19:

0.17%

C30_1

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know experienced
SINCE THE START OF COVID-19? Been slapped, hit, kicked, had things thrown at them, orother physical harm

2.41%

C30_2

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know experienced
SINCE THE START OF COVID-19? Been yelled at, called names, humiliated

2.82%

C30_3

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know experienced
SINCE THE START OF COVID-19? Had resources (like health care) or basic needs (likemoney, food, water, shelter) denied

4.32%

C30_4

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know experienced
SINCE THE START OF COVID-19? Been forced to stay alone for long period of time ordenied communication with other people

3.40%

C30_5

Which, if any, of the following have you or any other woman you know experienced
SINCE THE START OF COVID-19? Been the subject of inappropriate jokes, suggestive
comments, leering or unwelcome touch/kisses

4.32%

C31_1

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Information about security/crime
prevention

4.65%

C31_2

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Access to basic needs such as shelter,
food, clothing

3.57%

C31_3

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Medical and financial support

0.83%

C31_4

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Someone to talk to like professional
mental health experts

3.24%

C31_5

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Legal support or help in reporting theincident or dealing with police

2.41%

16

C31_6

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations of what we could do for women
suffering from violence during the pandemic? Other, specify

7.55%

S12

And as a final question, I would like to know if you have another mobile phone number
besides the one I am calling you on? IF YES: How many other mobile phone numbers do
you have?

0.41%

2.1.8 Field observations
This section describes the observations made by Field Managers and interviewers in the course of fieldwork.
The observations relate to: the most productive days for fieldwork; the main reasons for refusing to take partin the survey; challenges reaching certain age groups; and the clarity of terms, concepts and questions,among other topics. The observations effectively complement the fieldwork statistics included in theprevious section, providing a more nuanced picture of the fieldwork experience.
•

Working days worked best for obtaining an interview, with the exception of Monday mornings andFriday evenings. In terms of the specific time of day, late afternoon/evening generally yielded thehighest conversion rate.

•

Appointments were scheduled in cases where respondents could not take part in an interview
straight away. However, only about 15% of appointments actually resulted in a completedinterview; in most cases, the respondents could not be reached at the agreed appointment time.

•

Interviewers often experienced outright refusals before being able to introduce themselves and thesurvey. The main expressed reasons for refusals related to participants not taking part in surveys as
a general rule and/or not being interested in talking about anything related to the COVID-19
pandemic.

•

The refusal rate at S1 was the lowest among women aged 60+ (15%) and 18–29 (20%), and thehighest among those aged 50–59 (30%).

•

Older women (50+) were less represented in the RDD sample frame and, based on the field team’s
experience, less likely to answer the phone if the caller is unknown.

•

About 40% of respondents asked for the telephone number of the local support organization.

•

The interview team had previously worked on a face-to-face survey on violence against women, led
by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).11 Comparing the two surveys,
they noted that women in rural areas appeared more willing to take part in the face-to-face survey
than in the UN Women telephone survey, seemingly because they did not want to reject someone
who came to their home. In contrast, women in cities appeared more comfortable with the UN
Women telephone approach because it provided them with greater reassurance that their identity
and their personal data would be confidential and anonymous.

11 https://www.osce.org/VAWsurvey/publications

17

In terms of observations relating to the survey questionnaire:•

Some respondents said that the survey was too long (which was also reflected in the higher
dropout rate in Ukraine compared to the other three survey countries). According to the field team,
the introductory parts at the beginning of the survey, the vignettes (or large blocks of text ingeneral), as well as the repeated prompts to say the popular local food if privacy could not be
guaranteed any longer, particularly contributed to dropouts.

•

Several respondents expressed irritation at the questions on whether the speakerphone was off
and whether the respondent was in a quiet, private place.

•S6 and S7 were perceived by some respondents as rather patronizing, as if the interviewer would
doubt the respondent’s ability to make the decision to participate.

•Terms and concepts such as “harassment” and “discrimination” were generally understood, andconceptual equivalence was confirmed by the field team.

•

Questions that could be perceived as sensitive were answered by respondents without hesitation,even if they were the source of some irritation (as described above). Respondents sometimes
answered in a lower tone of voice to these questions, but overall did not express strong emotions(such as despair, anger or sorrow).

2.1.9 Lessons learned and recommendations
This section draws upon the fieldwork statistics and observations outlined in the previous sections to provide
recommendations for future surveys on violence against women in Ukraine. Specifically, whether remote
data collection can be considered as an appropriate approach to develop an evidence base on perceptions
and incidence.
•

Considering various challenging elements of the fieldwork in Ukraine, such as the high refusal rate
(especially outright refusals), the large proportion of men in the sample (55%), the low response rateof 5%, and thus the very resource-intensive nature of the work, face-to-face interviewing may be
more fruitful for surveys on violence against women in the country. Indeed, the OSCE survey in 2018
had considerably better response rates than the Rapid Gender Assessment, and overall was
successfully implemented. However, it should be borne in mind that face-to-face interviewing is, bydefinition, less anonymous, with possible implications for data quality. It also tends to be more
expensive than a telephone survey, even if response rates are higher, and typically requires a longer
fieldwork period.

•

Given the field team’s observations that working days were among the most productive days forfieldwork, it was recommended that data collection activities via CATI be concentrated on working
days and particularly in the late afternoon/evening. Saturday or Sunday should still be covered toensure segments of society that are not reachable on working days have a probability of being
invited to participate in the survey. The low interview conversion during public holidays suggeststhat fieldwork around important national events should be avoided.

•

Given the feedback on interview length and the high dropout rate compared to the other countries,
it is recommended that the questionnaire be reduced to 15 minutes – or at the very least ensurethat the questionnaire does not exceed the 20-minute target, as is currently the case.

18

© 2022 UN Women. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily
represent the views of UN Women, the United
Nations or any of its affiliated organizations.
Produced by the Women Count programme
Research partner: Ipsos
Editor: Jen Ross
Design: Ouissal Hmazzou

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