Yemen Polling Center

The Yemen Polling Center prides itself as being the first Yemeni research firm, providing the highest quality data collection, satisfying the needs of local and international clients.

Ethics

The Yemen Polling Center adheres to the World Association for Public Opinion Research code of professional ethics and practices and ensures the safety, well-being and interests of enumerators, researchers, interviewees and clients alike, while upholding international research standards.

Technology

We use computer assisted personal interviews (CAPI) and computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI). Modern software allows data processing while ensuring data privacy.

Accessibility

Our experience, country knowledge and wide network of qualified interviewers reach across areas and communities to ensure all community groups are represented in our findings.

Award Winning

We were awarded Gallup’s Best Partner in the Middle East & North Africa Award in 2010 for our high quality research. We also received their Most Valued Partner Award (2013), and the MENA World Poll Excellence ‘Courage Under Fire’ prize (2015 & 2019) for adhering to excellent research standards and high quality data collection under difficult war time conditions.

Our services

Established in 2004, the Yemen Polling Center prides itself on being the first Yemeni polling center, consistently producing high quality social science research. We design and carry out qualitative and quantitative research, serving the research needs of national and international institutions, non-profit organizations, corporations, government agencies, and professional associations. Our experienced interviewers ensure representative results and valuable insights.

Monitoring and evaluation

  • Design and implement M&E frameworks
  • Collect and analyze data for program success and improved outcomes

Assessments

  • Capacity assessments of civil society organizations, local state institutions, and more
  • Needs assessments conducted in urban areas and remote communities

In-depth research

  • Context-sensitive research approaches tailored to clients’ interests and needs
  • Data and analysis on social, humanitarian, political and security issues

Accessibility

We are proud of the access we have across the country as this allows for the best quality and comprehensive data. With researchers based across the country, we benefit from local knowledge and networks. This includes understanding dialects and cultural sensibilities and having connections to authorities, tribal leaders and other influential figures. And in order not only to gain the best data but also to support gender equality, half of our field team enumerators are women. This enables access to women respondents and households, as we work to ensure gender sensitivity within the country.

Locally connected, internationally trusted.

Methodologies

To get comprehensive data and produce high-quality research from within a conflict environment, the Yemen Polling Center uses a range of methods. To ensure high quality data, we adhere to the research standards defined by the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR). WAPOR upholds stringent standards of professionalism, integrity and ethical conduct in public opinion research. Central to these standards is the principle of transparency in research design, methodology and data reporting, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of findings.

Surveys

Survey design is rooted in ensuring neutrality, strategically employing various question types, and integrating scales that accurately and effectively capture the sentiments of respondents. Surveys use a blend of both closed-ended and open-ended questions.

Focus Group Discussions

We take cultural factors into consideration, such as the mixing of genders or people of different social and political background to ensure that participants feel comfortable to speak freely. We craft questions that are clear, unbiased and neutral to avoid inadvertently leading participants toward a specific answer. Recognizing the linguistic landscape in which we operate, we pay careful attention to local contexts, including dialects and idioms. When addressing sensitive topics, we adopt a delicate and respectful approach. We frame our questions to be non-confrontational and empathetic, emphasizing participants' autonomy. This practice not only safeguards the participants' emotional well-being but also upholds the integrity of our discussions. Afterwards, transcripts adhere to strict and consistent standards.

Key Informant Interviews

Having ensured whether face to face or telephone interviews are appropriate, we gain written or verbal consent from respondents. Interviewers are trained to observe strict neutrality as they interact with respondents, ensuring they do not ask leading questions.

Observation and Site Visits

Our supervisors coordinate with community facilitators and officials to ensure team safety and that there are no security concerns en route or within the community. In addition, they: make sure that all team members are ready for data collection; ensure that safe transport is available; ensure clear communication with each community, site or facility, and that interviewers contact the person in charge in order to introduce themselves and coordinate the schedule of appointments for interviews.

Well-established and experienced in many fields.

Projects

Enumerators

Clients

Interviews

About Us

The Yemen Polling Center was established in 2004 by founder Hafez Albukari who was motivated by the idea that it was necessary to independently verify public opinion statistics provided by the government. 
The Yemen Polling Center’s first grant came from the National Endowment for Democracy, to evaluate public opinion of the 2006 presidential elections. Building on this experience, the center reinforced its mission to independently research the population’s opinions and to expand its work and gain more experience in polling public attitudes. With the 2009 parliamentary elections in sight, the center started the Yemen Parliament Watch with the goal of strengthening parliament as a democratic institution. The project monitored parliamentary debates and became the primary resource for information on parliamentary proceedings for local media outlets. 
Despite challenges within the context at the start, the Yemen Polling Center has become a trusted organization for international organizations and with that, its research has become valuable to local policymakers. As it grew, it developed its advocacy and research departments, which led to the establishment of its sister organization, the Yemen Policy Center in 2020. 
Today, the Yemen Polling Center has a team that draws from across the breadth of the country and works with networks and organizations to ensure the highest quality data is collected. In recognition of our expertise, impeccable research standards, data quality, and communication, we were awarded Best Partner in the Middle East and North Africa award from Gallup in 2010, and in 2013 we received Gallup’s Most Valued Partner Award.

If you have questions or if you have a project you would like us to work on, please contact us.

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