We test the validity of indirect surveying as a method to collect household data. We compare household and informant reports of assets, develop poverty indices from both, test their performance as regression covariates, and examine errors in reporting and targeting resulting from using indirectly reported variables. Informant-based targeting indices are highly correlated with household measures and can be reasonable substitutes for self-reported indices in simple regressions. They can also be used to assign a simulated anti-poverty program with similar error rates to related methods. In our setting, eliminating direct household surveys would have reduced survey costs by 50%.

我们测试间接调查作为收集家庭数据的方法的有效性。我们比较了家庭和知情者的资产报告，从这两个指标中得出了贫困指数，测试了它们作为回归协变量的表现，并检查了由于使用间接报告的变量而导致的报告和针对性方面的错误。基于知情者的目标指数与家庭测算高度相关，在简单回归中可以合理地替代自我报告的指数。它们还可以用于将具有相似错误率的模拟的反贫困程序分配给相关方法。在我们的环境中，消除直接的家庭调查将使调查成本降低50％。