RAPID GENDERASSESSMENT
ON THE IMPACT
OF COVID-19 ON
VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMENTECHNICAL REPORT – ALBANIA SURVEY FIELDWORKAUGUST-SEPTEMBER 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 needto collect 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.

2

Methodology of the study

Target group

Women aged 18 +TimingTwo-phased approach: Phase I (four countries) took place May–June 2021; Phase II (ninecountries) took place August–September 2021

Data collection method

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)

Sampling approach

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

Sample Size

1,200 women aged 18+ per country

Questionnaire length andtype

Target duration of max. 20 minutes
No open-ended answers
Informed consent asked to each participant at the beginning of the interview
Awareness of safety, privacy and confidentiality of women respondents
Guided by the “do no harm” principle applicable to the women respondents and theinterviewers/research teamThe questionnaire was adapted in each country by localizing characters’ names andcultural references (i.e., popular food, music, sports).

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.

32. Country information
2.1 Albania

2.1.1. Obtaining ethical clearance
UN Women sought general support or tacit approval for the study from the Ministry of Social Protection of
Albania. A ‘no objection’ was granted on 29 March 2021 in support of the project.

2.1.2 Sampling plan
A single-frame cell-phone random-digit dialling (RDD) survey design was used to reach a nationally
representative sample of women aged 18+. The sample mirrored the telephone database distribution(frame size) 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 2019, 92% of the population had a mobile
subscription.2•

Of the 24,000,000 numbers available in the sample frame, 2,630,0763 (11%) were expected to beworking numbers (based on cell subscriptions in 2019). The sample was pulsed, meaning that asignal was sent to the randomly generated phone numbers to verify if the numbers existed (i.e., ifconnection could be achieved). 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 thesampling 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: Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) Population on 1 January, by age groups and sex 2001–
20214 and UN Data, Population by age, sex and urban/rural residence (2019, female population 18+).5•

Region: Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), Population on 1 January, by prefectures and sex
2001 – 2021.6

1 ALBtelecom (Eagle Mobile) 8,000,000; AMC (Telekom Albania) 8,000,000; Vodafone Albania 8,000,000.
2 Calculations made using 2019 World Bank data.
3 World Bank Data. 2019. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS?end=2019&locations=AL&start=2019
4 INSTAT. 2021. Population data. http://databaza.instat.gov.al/pxweb/en/DST/START__DE/POP01/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=63431e2b-dc0c4f7e-908e-46f973c156d3
5 UN Data. 2019. http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3A22
6 INSTAT. 2021. Population data.

42.1.3 Translation
The questionnaire was translated into Albanian.
No issues related to equivalence (conceptual equivalence, semantic equivalence, etc.) were encounteredduring 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 Albania, the male name used was Ilir and the female, Mira.

2.1.4 Fieldwork period
Fieldwork took place between 18 August and 20 September 2021. The local team experienced a slower startduring the first couple of weeks of the fieldwork, as this period coincided with the period of summer
holidays in Albania during which most people take their summer vacation. This affected the response rate
and the local team was not able to make good progress during these initial weeks. In the beginning of the
fieldwork the team also experienced a higher than usual number of non-active numbers in the sample. The
Ipsos Central Coordinating Team therefore asked the sample provider to re-examine the sample. The
provider had discovered a temporary technical glitch in its system, which restricted the proper
identification of all inactive numbers properly. This was promptly fixed and the sample provider prepared a
new batch of contacts, which was shared with the local team in Albania, who continued their work without
further such problems.
The local team sought to address the initially slow start to its fieldwork by training and adding four moreinterviewers to the project. This resulted in better progress in the beginning of September (albeit there wasa pause of fieldwork on 5 September, which is a public holiday in Albania, Saint Teresa Sanctification Day).
Nonetheless, the team’s progress slowed down again during the last week of fieldwork, as was the case in
several of the other countries, once they had mostly met their quotas for easier-to-reach groups, and theirfocus shifted more towards achieving interviews with harder-to-reach groups, including women in the 60+
age group. Therefore, after a careful review, and with official permission from the UN Women team, theAlbanian field team supplemented the RDD sample with leads from a pre-existing contact database,compiled from previous surveys conducted in the country. The database consisted entirely of mobile phone
numbers, and the selection of these numbers was performed at random across all age groups in order tomatch the original design of the study. This measure enabled the team to increase the number ofinterviews with women age 60+, and to complete the fieldwork.

2.1.5 Achieved sample
In total, 1,210 valid interviews were completed in Albania. 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 the completed interviews was 5 percentage points below the set target.

5

Table 1: Achieved sample, by age group (Albania)

Age
group

TargetTarget%Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted%7

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

18–29

285

24%

298

25%

24%

1%

0%

30–39

194

16%

215

18%

16%

2%

0%

40–49

176

15%

190

16%

15%

1%

0%

50–59

208

17%

230

19%

17%

2%

0%

60+

337

28%

277

23%

28%

-5%

0%

The regional targets were generally met, notwithstanding a small shortfall of 1 percentage point in the
North and South regions.
Table 2: Achieved sample, by region (Albania)

RegionTargetTarget %Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

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

North

329

27%

315

26%

27%

-1%

0%

Centre

507

42%

544

45%

42%

3%

0%

South

363

30%

351

29%

30%

-1%

0%

The distribution across rural (33%) and urban (67%) areas (as self-reported by respondents) was relatively
close to data from the World Bank that estimate a total rural population of 62%.8
Table 3: Achieved sample, by area type (Albania)

Area

Completed (unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %

Urban

810

66.9%

66.1%

Rural

400

33.1%

33.9%

Almost 3 in 10 respondents had completed primary school or had no formal education, while almost 4 in 10
had completed secondary school or attended technical or vocational training. More than 3 in 10
respondents had attended a tertiary education programme.

7 Weighting procedures are discussed in more detail in section 4.4.2 of the main technical report.
8 World Bank Data. 2020. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?end=2020&locations=AL&start=2018&year_high_desc=true

6Table 4: Achieved sample, by educational attainment (Albania)

Education level

Completed (unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %No formal education

29

2.4%

2.6%

Completed primary school

311

25.7%

26.0%

Completed secondary
school

363

30.0%

30.1%

Technical & vocational
training

89

7.4%

7.7%

Completed
university/college

402

33.2%

32.3%

Completed post-graduate

16

1.3%

1.2%

Don't know

0

0.0%

0.0%

Refused

0

0.0%

0.0%

2.1.6 Quality control and data processing
Two interviews were removed from the sample in Albania because they did not meet the quality criteria interms of length, straight-lining and/or item non-response. (Section 4.4 of the main technical reportprovides a detailed description of the implemented quality control procedures and how data were
processed).

2.1.7 Technical information
The interview duration almost perfectly matched the envisaged length of 20 minutes, at 19.30 minutes on
average (compared with a mean of 23 minutes across the nine countries in Phase II).
Table 5: Interview duration (Albania)
MeanMedianStandard deviation

19.30

18.00

5.73

The response rate in Albania was 6.72%, calculated by 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 breakoff plus non-contacts plus others) plus all cases of unknown eligibility (unknown if housing unit, plus
unknown, other).9
The table below shows the incidence of each outcome code.
9 AAPOR. 2015. Standard Definitions. https://www.aapor.org/AAPOR_Main/media/MainSiteFiles/Standard-Definitions2015_8thEd.pdf

7

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

Fixed appointment

251

1%

Soft appointment

291

1%

Incomplete interview with call-back to resume later00%

Telephone answering device / voicemail / message
service

1,174

4%Busy / engaged

661

2%

No answer

651

2%

Complete

1,210

4%

Screen-out

8,136

27%

Incomplete interview with no call-back (terminated)

763

3%

Immediate refusal (before eligibility of respondent has
been confirmed)

8,816

29%

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

1,681

6%

Respondent never available for appointment

2,227

7%

Deceased respondent

15

0%

Respondent physically or mentally unable /incompetent

157

1%

Respondent or household language problem

240%Call blocking / barring / do not call list

285

1%

Fax / data line / modem / pager

30%

Non-working / disconnected / dead / bad number

3,697

12%

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

80

0%Technical issue / CATI system error

60%

The table below provides an overview of specific call outcomes (completed interview, partial interview, andrefusals) by the time of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) and the day of the week. The figures should
be interpreted with caution as they do not reflect the percentage out of all contact attempts performed
during this time/on that day, but the split of these specific outcomes across the time of the day/day of theweek. Feedback from the field team on the best time and the best day to obtain an interview is provided in
section 2.1.8.

8

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

SundayMondayTuesday

WednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayCompleted interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Morning

44

4%

15

6%

9

5%

Afternoon

57

5%

11

5%

9

5%

Evening

12

1%

3

1%

1

1%

Morning

44

4%

10

4%

9

5%

Afternoon

92

8%

14

6%

26

13%

Evening

18

1%

3

1%

1

1%

Morning

47

4%

12

5%

15

8%

Afternoon

117

10%

30

13%

22

11%

Evening

15

1%

4

2%

1

1%

Morning

47

4%

10

4%

2

1%

Afternoon

121

10%

14

6%

17

9%

Evening

14

1%

1

0%

1

1%

Morning

80

7%

11

5%

8

4%

Afternoon

99

8%

13

6%

12

6%

Evening

19

2%

6

3%

1

1%

Morning

64

5%

4

2%

14

7%

Afternoon

114

9%

17

7%

17

9%

Evening

22

2%

7

3%

2

1%

Morning

79

7%

16

7%

13

7%

Afternoon

91

8%

34

14%

16

8%

Evening

16

1%

1

0%

3

2%

Forty-six per cent of the sample called were men and so screened out at the very beginning of the survey.
Almost 2% of the respondents were screened out because they were younger than 18 years old, 7% because
they did not want to participate, 0.3% because they did not understand fully the purpose of the survey, and
0.1% because they said they did not understand the confidentiality measures.

9

Table 8: Screen-outs (Albania)

Question

AnswerCount% of total answered

S3

Sex: Male

2,285

46.1%

S4_1+S4_2

Age: Below 18 years

54

1.9%

S1

Willing to participate: No

199

8.5%

S6

Understand purpose: No

8

0.4%

S7

Understand confidentiality: No

3

0.2%

The interview was temporarily discontinued in 93 cases because the respondent answered “no” to one of
the four ‘safety’ questions (listed in Table 9 below). This number means that Albania had the second
highest number of temporary interview suspensions among all 13 countries where the fieldwork was
conducted, behind only Paraguay (126).
Table 9: Temporary interview suspension due to responses at safety questions (Albania)

AnswerCount% of total
answeredS2

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

15

0.7%

S5

Can you confirm if now is a good time? No

66

3.5%

B01

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

7

0.5%

C18

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

5

0.4%

Question

Overall, 236 respondents dropped out of the survey before completion the interview. The largest numbersof dropouts were at A01 (28), A12 (21), B02 (17) and C10 (13). The table below shows the questions at which
the dropouts occurred. Questions not included in the table have an INR of 0%.
Table 10: Survey dropouts, by question (Albania)
No. ofparticipants
dropped out% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now
we just need a bit more information about you. Would you consider
the area you live in to be urban or rural?

10

4.2%

A01

What is your marital status?

28

11.9%

A07_ASKHow many of the people living in your household are aged 0–17?

8

3.4%

A08_ASK

How many of the people living in your household are men aged 18 or
over?

2

0.8%

10

No. ofparticipants
dropped out% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

A06

How many people, including yourself, live in your household?

5

2.1%

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

7

3.0%

A03

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

5

2.1%

A04

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

3

1.3%

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

1

0.4%

A05

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

5

2.1%

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic?

3

1.3%

A12

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

21

8.9%

B01

Thank you for your responses so far. I am now going to ask you somequestions related to your health. Before we begin this section, canyou confirm that there is no one around you over the age of 2 thatcan overhear our conversation?

5

2.1%

17

7.2%

10

4.2%

B02

B04

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts andfeelings since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often haveyou been bothered by the following problems since the onset of the
COVID-19 situation? Please answer with: not at all, several days, morethan half the days, or nearly every day.
Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g.,stress, anxiety, confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF
THE COVID-19 SITUATION?

C02

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

11

4.7%

C03

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

2

0.8%

C04

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

8

3.4%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, orharassment of women is a problem in the area where you live?

3

1.3%

11

No. ofparticipants
dropped out% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

C08

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

2

0.8%

C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in thearea where you live?

13

5.5%

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

2.1%

C12

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

4

1.7%

C13

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

6

2.5%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in thearea where you live?

4

1.7%

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?

6

2.5%

C16

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

2

0.8%

2

0.8%

1

0.4%

7

3.0%

1

0.4%

C17

C18

C19

C20

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help
from?
Just to make sure, before we continue, can you confirm that there isno one around you over the age of 2 that can overhear ourconversation? If you are alone, please say yes. Alternatively, if
someone over 2 is listening to our call or is nearby that can hear,please say no.
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?
Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict between
adults in your household more frequent, less frequent or about the
same?

C21

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

1

0.4%

C22

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

2

0.8%

C23

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?

1

0.4%

12

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

Question

Question text

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house by yourself in thelast month?

% of total
dropouts

4

1.7%

3

1.3%

4

1.7%

4

1.7%

C30

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any
other women you know may have experienced. For each situation,please tell if you or any other women you know have experienced this
only before the start of COVID-19, only since the start of COVID-19,
both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not at all. Please listen
carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.

7

3.0%

C31

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?

3

1.3%

Total

236

C25

C28A_

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has limited yourinteractions with your friends and social groups, such as seeing or
speaking to them?
Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as
true:
1.
2.
3.
4.

C29A

I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19
Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
3. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
4. Don’t know
5. Refused

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 Albania, the food used in the questionnaire was “Byrek”. This word wasused 59 times during the course of fieldwork. The table below shows the questions at which this occurred.

13

Table 11: Use of popular local food, per question (Albania)
Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now we just need a
bit more information about you. Would you consider the area you live in to be urban
or rural?

2

S6

What region in [COUNTRY] do you live in?

3

S12_NEW

And do you own the phone you are speaking on?

2

A01

What is your marital status?

1

A08_ASKHow many of the people living in your household are men aged 18 or over?

1

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

1

A03

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

2

A04

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

1

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

2

A05

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

2

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic?

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

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings since
the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been bothered by thefollowing problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Please answer with:not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.

2

B04

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

2

C02

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

2

C03

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

1

C04

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

1

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, or harassment of women is aproblem in the area where you live?

1

C08

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

2

C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where you
live?

6

B02

14

Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

C11

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

1

C12

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

3

C13

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

2

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area
where you live?

1

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usually share both good andbad 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 haveargued or have had some sort of conflict among themselves?

4

C21

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

2

C22

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

1

C24

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

1

C25

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has limited your interactions with yourfriends and social groups, such as seeing or speaking to them?

1

C28A_ASK

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1.
I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2.
I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE
LIKES]
3.
I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
4.
Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].

3

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1.
People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2.
I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTER THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
3.
I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
4.
I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

1

C28B_ASK

C29B_ASK

C30

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]
4. Don’t know
5. Refused

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women you
know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only since
the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not at all.
Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.

15

1

2

Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

Total

59

In terms of item non-response (INR), this varied across the survey but was highest at A01 (19.10%). A highitem non-response on this question was observed among many of the countries in Phase II of the survey –though not during Phase I (the average item non-response for all four Phase I countries at A01 was lessthan 5%). Other questions with high INR were C31_5 (18.10%), C31_1 (17.70%), C31_2 (16.30%), C31_6 (16.30%)
and C31_4 (14.90%). This may reflect a lack of knowledge among respondents of services available forwomen in their communities.
Table 12: Item non-response (Albania)
Question

Question text

Item nonresponse

A01

What is your marital status?

19.10%A07

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

0.10%

A08

How many of the people living in your household are men aged 18 or over?

0.10%

A03

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

0.10%

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

1.20%

A05

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

0.40%

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic?

0.40%

A12_1

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

0.20%

A12_2

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

0.50%

A12_3

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

0.20%

A12_4

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

0.30%

A12_5

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

0.20%

A12_6

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

0.10%

16

A12_7

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

0.20%

A12_8

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

0.20%

B02_1

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been bothered by
the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Please answer
with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day. 1. Not
being able to stop or control worrying

0.30%

B02_2

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been bothered by
the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Please answer
with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.
2. Having little interest or pleasure in doing things

1.10%

B02_3

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been bothered by
the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Please answer
with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.
3. Feeling down, depressed or hopeless

0.50%

B04

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

0.90%

C02

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

0.40%

C03

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

10.30%

C04

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

7.10%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, or harassment of womenis a problem in the area where you live?

8.80%

C08

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

14.30%C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where
you live?

10.00%

C11

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

4.50%

C12

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

6.90%

C13

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

2.00%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where
you live?

7.20%

17

C15

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

10.10%C16

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

6.70%

C17

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

2.40%

C19

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

1.50%

C20

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

2.10%

C21

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

0.60%

C22

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

1.90%

C23_1

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

0.10%

C23_3

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

0.10%

C23_11

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?
11. Something else

0.50%

C24

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

0.50%

C25

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has limited your interactions with yourfriends and social groups, such as seeing or speaking to them?

0.60%

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE
LIKES]
3. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
4. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].

3.10%

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTER THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
3. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
4. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

3.20%

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:

2.90%

C29B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]
4. Don’t know
5. Refused

2.70%

18

C30_1Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only
since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not atall. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.
1. Been slapped, hit, kicked, had things thrown at them, or other physical harm

2.60%

C30_2

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only
since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not atall. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.
2. Been yelled at, called names, humiliated

2.50%

C30_3

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only
since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not atall. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.
3. Had resources (like health care) or basic needs (like money, food, water, shelter)denied

3.10%

C30_4

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only
since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not atall. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.
4. Been forced to stay alone for long period of time or denied communication withother people

2.00%

C30_5

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only
since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not atall. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.
5. Been the subject of inappropriate jokes, suggestive comments, leering, or
unwelcome touch/kisses

3.50%

C31_1

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
1. Information about security/crime prevention

17.70%

C31_2

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
2. Access to basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing

16.30%

C31_3

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
3. Medical support

8.50%

C31_4

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
4. Someone to talk to like professional mental health experts

14.90%

19

C31_5

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
5. Legal support or help in reporting the incident or dealing with police

18.10%

C31_6

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
6. Financial support

16.30%

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?

1.10%

2.1.8 Field observations
This section describes the observations made by the field managers and interviewers in the course of
fieldwork. The observations relate to the most productive days for fieldwork; the main reasons for refusal totake part in the survey; respondent reactions to sensitive topics; 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 the previous section, providing a more nuanced picture of
the fieldwork experience.
•

According to the field team, the best day of the week to reach respondents overall was Sunday.
With an exception of only one week of the fieldwork period, Sunday was the most productive forreaching respondents, particularly people who worked full-time during the week. As far as the mostsuitable time of the day to reach respondents was concerned, the interviewers observed thatgenerally the time slots of 11 am to 12 pm and 5 pm to 6 pm were the most productive.

•

The main reasons for refusals to take part in the survey were a lack of interest in the study, thelength of the survey and lack of time to be interviewed.

•

The oldest age group (60+) was less represented in the RDD sample frame. The field team also
observed that respondents over 60 were more likely to get tired in the middle of the interview,which necessitated the setting of follow-up appointments. However, in many cases the
respondents concerned did not answer the phone at the agreed appointment time. Towards theend of the fieldwork the local team observed that the use of the RDD sample alone would not be
sufficient to meet the 60+ age group quota despite the extension of the fieldwork. Therefore, withthe permission of the UN Women team and after careful review, the team in Albania supplemented
the RDD sample with leads from a contact database compiled from previous surveys conducted in
the country. The database consisted entirely of mobile phone numbers, and the selection of thesenumbers was performed at random from all numbers in the database in order to match the original
design of the study.

•

The (telephone) data-collection method was perceived as appropriate. The interviewers indicatedthat whenever women agreed to participate in the survey, they did not appear to experience any
specific issues with the questionnaire flow, the content of the questions or the mode of the survey(phone).

•In terms of observations relating to the survey questionnaire:20•Regarding specific questions, the field team reported that C28A and C28B were more difficult thanthe other questions for respondents to understand. These were the list randomization questions
where the respondents were asked to mention the number of statements that were true.
Specifically, interviewers noted that instead of indicating how many of the statements were true
for them, the respondents often began by citing the statements that were true for them (thisdespite the additional prompt to count the statements on their fingers). The interviewers handled
these situations by offering additional explanation and repeating the instructions to the
respondents.

•

In the case of some of the more sensitive questions in the survey, some of the women quit theinterview without an explanation, while others lowered the tone of their voice, or emphasized thatthey had not personally experienced such problems. Such behaviour was most evident at question
C19, C20 and C21, indicating these were seen as especially sensitive.

•

The respondents who actually used the popular local food safe word did so correctly. However, inmost cases, when women were not able to talk freely, they simply told the interviewers that they
were not alone anymore instead of using of the safe word.

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

CATI and the use of a single-frame cell phone RDD design worked well in Albania and theresearchers recommend considering this approach for future data-collection activities on violenceagainst women. That said, older women (60+) and those living in certain regions (North and South)
were more difficult to reach than other groups with the RDD sample. This should be reflected in thetime dedicated to active data collection in future surveys with age- and region-based quotas. A
longer fieldwork period would help to ensure the quotas are uniformly achieved. In the case of aface-to-face approach, a longer fieldwork period would be absolutely necessary, owing to the extra
time required for physical visits to prospective respondents’ homes. For any surveys with shorter
fieldwork periods, consideration should be given from the outset to supplementing the RDD sample
with available contact databases that mimic the characteristics of the RDD sample. This would
increase the likelihood of quotas for harder-to-reach age groups being met.

•

Given the issue experienced with the initial sample batch in the very beginning of the mainstage
fieldwork in Albania, researchers also recommend that additional checks are performed by sampleproviders on the numbers in the sample to avoid a high occurrence of inactive numbers.

•

Given the field team’s observations that Sundays were especially productive for fieldwork, and that
respondents who worked full-time were often only free on the weekend, it is recommended toallocate more interviewers to data-collection activities on weekends as an extra measure wheneverfieldwork progresses to its final stages and/or, when reaching quotas proves challenging. By
providing this recommendation researchers remain mindful of the need to avoid skewing thesample by interviewing only the most easy-to-reach women.

21•Taking into account the slow progress of the fieldwork in Albania during the last two weeks ofAugust, the researchers recommend that future surveys conducted in the country avoid this period,
whenever possible, as many people have their summer holidays during this month and this resultsin fewer responses, as well as challenges recruiting interviewers where this is required.

•

Almost 20% of the respondents did not answer the question asking about their marital status (A01).
The issue was also evident to varying degrees across most of the other Phase II countries. Therefore,
the researchers recommend placing the question towards the end of a survey (rather than at the
beginning as was the case in the Rapid Gender Assessment Survey), by which point some rapport
will have been built between the interviewer and the respondent, making it easier for theinterviewer to obtain an answer to the question. Including it at the end will also help to ensure thatit does not cause dropouts early on in the survey.

22© 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

220 East 42nd Street
New York, New York 10017, USA
data.unwomen.org
www.unwomen.org
www.facebook.com/unwomen
www.twitter.com/un_women
www.youtube.com/unwomen
www.flickr.com/unwomen
instagram.com/unwomen