Interviewers from STATIN Out on Sept. 16 for JSLC

Interviewers from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) will be out in their numbers come September 16, when data collection for the 2026 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) is set to begin.

The JSLC is an annual household survey, which is a joint exercise between STATIN and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

The survey provides important information on the social and economic well-being of Jamaicans.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on September 14, Director of Field Services at STATIN, Philone Mantock, explained that this year’s survey will target 3,900 dwellings.

“STATIN will be conducting data collection for the 2026 JSLC starting this Wednesday, September 16 for a period of three months. We’re running into mid-December 2026. The field team of STATIN has a complement of 110 persons that includes interviewers and supervisors who will be all issued with a STATIN ID that clearly indicates their name and that they work at STATIN,” Ms. Mantock said.

The questionnaires will collect information covering various modules and indicators, which is used to inform policy and measure the impact and effectiveness of several social programmes.

Acting Director of the Surveys Division at STATIN, Nichole Allen, gave an overview of what is to be collected in the interviews.

“Among the various modules and indicators in JSLC, we have the food and non-food expenditure modules that allow us to provide data to assess the poverty situation of Jamaicans. We also collect data on education, on health circumstances and access to healthcare in Jamaica. We collect information on the access to information and communications and technology indicators for Jamaica,” Ms. Allen said.

For her part, Director of Policy Research, in the Social Policy Planning and Research Division of the PIOJ, Suzette Johnson, disclosed the value and importance of the survey.

“We use the data that you provide to help to measure issues of accessibility. Do persons have access to the right sets of resources and services? Do the right set of persons have access to the services and benefits that they need? We invite you, if you hear that knock on your gate, to say ‘yes’, so that you can add your voice to this development process,” Mrs. Johnson said.

Between September 16 and December 16, 2026, STATIN interviewers will visit selected households across Jamaica to collect information that will provide an updated picture of the living conditions and well-being of the population.

STATIN is responsible for data collection while the PIOJ is responsible for data analysis and preparation of the JSLC Report.

The success of the JSLC depends on the participation of households selected for the survey, and every selected household that participates helps to improve the quality and usefulness of the information produced from the survey.