Accessing a Service

There are many services that can considerably improve people’s lives, such as health / social protection / agricultural services. Therefore, this important coverage indicator shows the extent to which the target group members have used a given service during a certain period.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the people who were expected to use the service:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: The first question must assess whether the respondent needed the given service during the measured period. The wording of the question will need to be defined accordingly. For example: In the past [specify the time period], did you need [explain what the service offers]?

A1: yes / no / does not know

(ask the following question only if the previous response is “yes”)

Q2: In the past [specify the time period], did you use [specify the service]?

A2: yes / no / does not know

Consider verifying the response by asking for more details (for example: Can you please tell me more about it? Who provided it? What did the person do?)

To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of respondents who used the service by the total number of respondents who needed the service (excluding those who did not know). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by gender, age group, location, and other criteria relevant to the focus and context of your intervention.

1) Always ask the people who responded “no” why they didn’t use the service. While such data is not necessary to determine the indicator’s value, it can help increase the proportion of people who use the given service.

2) Ensure that the interviewers always verify (by asking additional questions) whether the respondents have used the service in which you are interested.

3) In some instances, the service is not necessarily used by the respondent only but by the household (e.g. if an extension worker comes to provide advice). In such a case, rephrase the question: “… did your household use [specify the service]?”

4) If the service is supposed to be used repeatedly, consider also assessing how often the respondent used the service so that you can measure any frequency-related changes. You have two options for how to gain the required data:

- If the respondents are likely to remember the frequency (because you are using a short recall period or because it is likely that the person only used the service a few times), you can ask: "In the past [specify the time period], how often did you use [specify the service]?"

- If the respondents are not likely to remember the frequency, ask: "Can you please tell me when you last used [specify the service]?". While it is possible that a person used the service, for example, yesterday but otherwise s/he uses it only once per year, in the total sample of respondents, such 'accidental' facts cancel each other out, and you gain more reliable frequency data than you would get if you had asked: "How often ...?".