Tracking in Longitudinal Household Surveys

Sample attrition is one of the inherent challenges faced by any longitudinal household survey. Among surveys in developing countries, mobility accounts for most of the attrition. Recent experience in the collection of longitudinal household and individual data around the world has shown that it is feasible to track respondents, like to follow respondents who moved from the location where they were first interviewed. Tracking individuals and households can entail significant costs and may require specific focus by the organization conducting the survey. Drawing from experiences from previous and ongoing surveys, the paper presents recommendations on methodology for successfully implementing tracking in panel household surveys.