"Measuring the Un-measurable: Challenging the
Limits of Official Statistics"
27 Feb. 2012
Measuring and
Monitoring Public
Engagement in Qatar
Hamad bin Jabor bin Jassim Al Thani
President, Qatar Statistics Authority
7/23/2016
Qatar Statistics Authority
Outline
 The Rationale
 Public Engagement: Concepts
and Definitions
 Important areas of Public
Engagement
 Impact of Public Engagement
 Data Sources
 Measurement tools
 Challenges to measuring Public
Engagement
 Way Forward
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Rationale
 Qatar Vision 2030 focuses on the four areas of
development, namely Economic development, Human
development, Social development, and Environmental
Development
 Official statistics are capable of portraying a country through
a set of indicators, maps, graphs, etc.
 The traditional socio-economic and environmental indicators
(GDP, HDI, MDGs indicators, etc.) do not adequately
measure the achievement of the goals targeted in Qatar
Vision 2030.
 New Statistics and indicators are needed.
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Why is measuring Public
Engagement important for Qatar and
for the Region?
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Public Engagement:
Concepts and Definitions
 Public engagement is a process
that brings people of all walks of
life together to address issues of
common importance.
 Public
engagement
feeling of belonging.
builds
a
 Builds trust in policy makers.
 Creates opportunities for citizens
to become involved in problem
solving and decision making.
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Some important areas of Public
Engagement
 Education and access to
information
 Health and wellbeing
 Sports and leisure
 Culture and Heritage
 Energy and Environment
 Policy Consultations
 Media including Social Media
 Social Protection
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Impact of Public Engagement
Public Access
to Knowledge
Public Access
to Facilities
• A knowledge
based society
• Improved
quality of life
• Expanded
Social Capital
• Improved
health
• Improved
wellbeing
Qatar Statistics Authority
Institutional
Commitment
• More effective
Interaction
• Result
oriented
partnership
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Data Sources
 Specialized surveys
 Administrative data from various Ministries and other
Government Units
 Research activities by specialized groups
 Social Media
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Examples of Qatari Social Media
Statistics
Category
Facebook
Twitter
No. of users
481,280
133,000
Penetration of
Population
28.32%
7.83%
Penetration of
online population
85.36%
23.62%
Source: Computing Research Institute, Qatar Foundation April,2011
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Examples of Qatari Social Media
Statistics (Cont’d)
Gender Breakdown of Facebook Users
31%
Male
69%
Female
Source: Computing Research Institute, Qatar Foundation April,2011
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Examples of Qatari Social Media
Statistics (Cont’d)
Facebook Users by Age Group
1% 1% 4%
4%
5%
13-15
16-17
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
16%
24%
45%
Source: Computing Research Institute, Qatar Foundation April,2011
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Examples of Qatari Social Media
Statistics (Cont’d)
Language Preferred by Facebook Users
1% 4%
16%
Arabic
English
French
Others
79%
Source: Computing Research Institute, Qatar Foundation April,2011
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AWARENESS
What to measure?
Qatar Statistics Authority
Reading newspapers
Watching
news/Radio/online news
Talking about current
events/public affaires
(Majlis, Doha debates)
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CIVIC VOICE
What to measure?
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Contacting Media
Participating in Policy
conferences
Contacting Public Officials
Using Social Media
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INVOLVEMENT
What to measure?
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Membership in
Groups/Associations
Participation in Volunteer
Activities
Fundraising for Charity
Participation in committees
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Measurement Issues to Consider
 Standards do not currently exist at the international level
 There is a need to identify target population/“Different publics”
 Involves talking to people and not about people
 Build trust and ensure confidentiality
 Design appropriate data capturing means
 How will the information be used
 How will the information change the life of the provider
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Improving Response
Build Trust
Educate
Engage
Provide Feedback

Example: 2010 Population Census Publicity Campaign
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Measurement process will help
answer the following questions:
 How active is civil society in Qatar?
 Should Qatar develop a policy environment that fosters public
engagement?
 What is the impact of public engagement on life satisfaction in Qatar?
 Is Qatar achieving it’s vision and goals?
 Qatar National Vision 2030
 National Development Strategy 2011-2016
 Qatar National Master Plan 2032
 FIFA World Cup 2022
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Challenges to Measuring
Public Engagement
 Better understanding of the concept
 Need for an appropriate framework for Qatar
 Need to increase public awareness on the issue of Public
Engagement
 Need to develop appropriate measurement tools/indicators
 Need to identify required resources, including capacity building of
staff
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Way Forward
 QSA to initiate the process and together with partners develop the
appropriate methodology for measuring Public Engagement
 To identify the stakeholders/Public institutions
 To create awareness on issues/outcomes of Public Engagement
 To collect data and assess the current status of Public
Engagement
 To prepare recommendations and inform decision makers on the
current status of Public Engagement
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Way Forward (Cont’d)
 To encourage the development of a strategy to enhance Public
Engagement to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030
 To collaborate and seek advice with international/regional/research
institutions
 To develop a repository to monitor Public Engagement in Qatar.
 To ensure sustainability of the project at national level.
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Thanks
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