The role of interviewer ethnicity on survey responses: A case study in refugee camps in Bangladesh

Abstract

In this paper, we report results of a study conducted in one of the world’s largest refugee camps, the Kutupalong–Balukhali expansion site in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in early 2021. We compare quantitative results of a survey on Rohingya refugees’ perceptions of humanitarian aid conducted by Bangladeshi and Rohingya interviewers. For 36 out of 40 perception questions, we found a significant difference between the interviewer groups. Rohingya respondents, when interviewed by a member of their own ethnicity, express much lower levels of satisfaction with aid services than those interviewed by Bangladeshi interviewers, are more likely to report rude or abusive behavior, and are less likely to admit to behaviors deemed socially undesirable. Existing literature on ethnicity-of-interviewer effects in public opinion research focuses mainly on the United States and ethnic minorities in Europe, and thus, this study provides new insight into interviewer effects in humanitarian settings. The findings from this study call into question the validity and comparability of surveys conducted in humanitarian settings around the world. For Bangladesh, our findings show the importance of recruiting interviewers from the same ethnic group as respondents in order to elicit honest opinions concerning issues that may be socially sensitive or seen as critical of the aid efforts undertaken on their behalf.