Developed by the UNICEF Innocenti Global Office of Strategy and Evidence and the University of Ghana, this study examines how estimates of children’s participation in work and education differ depending on whether information is reported by children themselves or by parents or caregivers.
Drawing on data from Ghana and Burkina Faso, the study finds that children generally report higher participation in household chores and economic activities, as well as more time spent working, than proxy respondents. In Ghana, children’s self-reports resulted in child labour prevalence estimates around 20% higher than those based on proxy reports.
The findings highlight the importance of considering who reports on children’s activities when designing surveys, interpreting child labour estimates and assessing programme effectiveness.
Discrepancies in Reported Time Use, Economic Activities and Education Between Children and Proxy Respondents
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Relevant resources
ICI, together with ETH Zurich and the University of Ghana, has also examined how the choice of respondent, including whether children or their parents/caregivers are interviewed, can affect child labour estimates. We also explored how interview location and the use of screening questions affect survey results.
