A quarter of Dominicans reduced the number of meals per day since the pandemic
Santo Domingo. – To measure the socioeconomic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the poorest population of the Dominican Republic and improve the response and recovery, the United Nations System conducted the survey to measure the socio-economic impact SEIA (acronym in English), in collaboration with non-profit associations, community-based organizations and the Unique System of Beneficiaries (Siuben).
Among the findings of the survey, the needs expressed by the surveyed households to recover their well-being stand out: Regarding access to food, 76.7% of the surveyed households indicated that they are concerned about not having enough, and reported the need to have to buy cheaper food (45.8%) and reduce the number of meals per day (26.8%).
With regard to education, the survey shows that 84.8% of children and adolescents enrolled in an educational center before the pandemic were able to continue their studies remotely or virtually.
It was also found that most households have more access to smartphones (77.9%) than to computers or tablets (24.5%), so the most common study method was through WhatsApp, used in 90.2% of surveyed households.
Another relevant data is that of income: 59.1% of the households in the sample expressed that they have suffered a significant reduction in their sources of income due to the current health emergency, the main reasons being the decrease in income/wages (36.7 %), temporary loss or suspension of employment (18.8%) and permanent loss of employment (9.3%).
The survey was conducted through a network of local organizations to 6,359 households nationwide during July 2020 and will be repeated in the coming months to measure how the socioeconomic situation of households evolves, which will allow the State to design evidence-based interventions, necessary for the recovery and socio-economic reactivation of communities, through differentiated measures and initiatives.