Survey ID Number
PSE-PCBS-CPI-2024-V1.0
Title
Consumer Price Index 2024
Data Collection Notes
Data on prices were collected through field visits carried out by trained staff to selected markets including groceries, supermarkets, cloth and clothing markets, restaurants, general service offices, hospitals, private schools, wholesalers and factories, in addition to sources of construction products related to the index.
The interviewers were provided with questionnaires that included all the required items and data sources, along with detailed descriptions of goods and outlets. Electronic forms of questionnaire supported with GIS, and GPS mapping technique were designed specially to collect prices for different surveys through the use of tablet devices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip while paper questionnaires were used in Jerusalem J1.
The title of each source was clarified for easy access by the researchers. The distribution of these resources in each city took into account covering all available goods and services and their diversity. For example, the prices of vegetables were taken from popular markets in addition to specialized markets in different parts of the city.
Three different prices for food products should be collected within one city in CPI, and one or two prices for the rest of the items, taking into consideration the speed or frequency of the change in the price of the item or service, which is shown by their frequent circulation. The prices for each item were distributed throughout the month by distributing the visits to the sources within each city for period of four weeks, so that the prices for the commodity are monitored at different periods of the month. As for vegetables and fruits, their prices were collected on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday of every week.
Data collection and field coordination were carried out according to the plan prepared for this purpose, in addition to the preparation of instructions, models and tools for fieldwork.
The fieldwork team selected for the price surveys should meet the following conditions and specifications:
They must have a degree in one of the following disciplines: Accounting, Economics, Finance and Banking.
Those who have previously worked on the price surveys.
It should also be noted that the fieldwork team receives a full training course (theoretical and practical) to clarify all technical and field matters. Those who pass the evaluation test successfully are selected. The researchers of the fieldwork team are also supervised and monitored by the project management and the survey supervisor for a full week when starting work for the first time to assess the validity of the work in terms of the proficiency of all concepts and proper use of the data collection tool.
The fieldwork team consisted of a fieldwork coordinator, office managers and a field team in all governorates. PCBS provided offices in all governorates since the task of supervising, monitoring and auditing of the various project activities required the presence of offices in the governorates that are close to the various work areas to be used by the field teams before and after the completion of daily work in the processes of receipt and delivery of various work tools, filling forms, writing reports, and reviewing and auditing the outcome of daily work.
The fieldwork coordinator in each governorate carried out periodic monthly field visits with the field team to examine the progress of the work and inform the project management of any urgent developments in the field in order to solve them. The project management also carried out periodic field visits in all governorates in order to examine the progress of the work and verify the researchers' ability to identify themselves, carry out the surveying processes, use tablets, complete forms, audit and review data, and follow up all recommendations resulting from the field visits.
Compilation of price data in Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023
1. The process of collecting prices in the Gaza Strip stopped in the usual way, which was mainly based on direct contact by the prices team in the Gaza Strip with the owners of the various sales outlets to collect prices and enter them directly on tablets within the electronic form dedicated to collecting the various prices of goods and services within the consumer basket, or by going to the field to collect the prices of some goods and verify their weights, brand and country of origin from time to time, and create a state of cooperation and communication Between the price crew and the owners of the outlets.
2. In light of the intensive destruction in the Gaza Strip, many shops and sales outlets that were within the target sample to collect prices in the Gaza Strip were destroyed, and accordingly the project management instructed the price team in the Gaza Strip to resort to collecting price data for goods available in the Gaza markets through the commercial stalls spread and close to the asylum and shelter centers for the displaced in the Strip, shops that are still operating under difficult conditions, in addition to the central markets. Somewhat distant from military operations in the Gaza Strip.
3. The price team was stressed the need to collect prices throughout the week by going to the field or calling 3 times a week in various governorates of the Gaza Strip from northern Gaza to Rafah.
4. Collecting the prices of high-weight goods in the consumer basket, especially food and beverages, fuel, gas, medicines, transportation fees, potable water, and others....
5. The data is sent by the price team through text messages via WhatsApp group that has been allocated to the price team in the Gaza Strip on a daily basis.