ESO to help elderly couple with ‘daunting’ survey
(CNS): The Economics and Statistics Office has apologised to a couple in their late 70s, one of whom is suffering from cancer, about the pain and stress caused by a letter the ESO sent after they had declined to take part in the Household Budget Survey. The couple who were “daunted” by the order to complete the survey will be given assistance by the ESO. However, there is no space in the law for any randomly selected household to avoid participation.
ESO Director Adolphus Laidlow acknowledged that it might be overwhelming for the couple and apologised for any inadvertent inconvenience or pain caused to the elderly and sick householder. “That was not our intention,” he added.
Laidlow said that arrangements had been made, and a trained ESO enumerator was going to meet with the couple and help them complete the form.
“We will work with them to get the requisite information sought in the survey,” he said, noting that there is very little wiggle room in the law. The ESO aims to collect vital information but not cause hardship, he said, stressing that there is no leeway for his office to make exceptions.
“Participating in the HBS 2023 is an important national statistical exercise,” Laidlow stated in a release about the issue, which was reported in the Cayman Compass last week.
The seniors, who are both 78, had been one of 2,400 households randomly selected to participate in the survey. But given the man’s condition and the fact that his wife is caring for him round the clock, they told the ESO enumerator who came to their home that they would not be able to fill out the forms.
Two days later, the enumerator returned with a standard letter that pointed out that those refusing to participate could be fined up to as much as $5,000.
The couple said the survey was daunting. They had been asked to complete a daily log of every purchase they made over 14 days, along with receipts. The couple said that dealing with the illness was extremely stressful, and being ordered to find time to complete the 58-page detailed questionnaire with a threat of a fine hanging over their head was “mental torture”.
Despite his condition, the man visited the government building and spoke with officials, who arranged for an enumerator to go to their home to help them fill out the form.
The ESO said that collecting statistics from the community is vital as the information informs government policy and helps businesses function. The crucial Household Budget Survey (HBS) from randomly selected households is conducted once every five years. Without any mechanisms for continuous surveys, as is common in other jurisdictions, Cayman follows the global five-year model.
“The statistics collected in the HBS provide the economic pulse of the community and, more importantly, inform government to better plan and create programmes for the community. Consequently, non-collection of such data will adversely impact both information collection and actions to be planned for the welfare of the community,” ESO officials explained.
The HBS is fundamental for updating the consumer price index (CPI), used mainly to inform the public and private sectors’ need for cost of living adjustments (CoLA) or salary review, pension income review and electricity charges review. Even some court cases dealing with monetary compensation or allowances use the CPI as their guide.
The statistics also form the basis for arriving at macro-economic indicators such as GDP growth, GDP per capita and the unemployment rate. The primary data helps the government calculate the total economic impact of public spending or private sector investment in the economy. This helps with fiscal policies or projects.
All of the ESO work is governed strictly under the Statistics Act, including, as required, the need to remind those not complying with the survey of the possible consequences of not following the mandatory requirements. Households are not targeted but selected randomly, and all information is confidential and not subject to freedom of information queries.
ESO conducts the HBS using trained interviewers who speak with household members over 18 years old who have made expenditures within the past 12 months. The household members are asked to make themselves available to the enumerators. The ESO said the letters sent to those who fail to take part are not threatening letters but notices of non-compliance, which are required under the law.
Expressing sincere appreciation and gratitude to all those who have complied with the HBS so far, Laidlow urged all the households selected to complete the forms as they fall due.
“It is your contribution as a responsible member of society and a law-abiding resident of the Cayman Islands,” he said. “We are very thankful to everyone who responds for their willing support and active cooperation. You provide a vital service to your community.”
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Category: Local News
I keep reading the word “threaten” in other media platforms and the ignorant comments here, which conjures a different image in one’s mind than what actually occurred.
Maybe one person who has commented here has actually received the standard letter that is given if someone refuses and it states that according to the law you “can” be fined $5,000 for refusal. That is not a threat, that is just stating the law.
Those commenters who suggest to select another household don’t understand the random selection process. It is not the Director or another person who is randomly selecting the households!
The same people on here complaining about completing a survey by answering questions from an enumerator are the same people who complain that Government are not doing enough to provide services to citizens!
How do they think the Government get information, gather statistics and prioritize what services are needed?
A bunch of whiners is what I call the lot of those people. They complain about everything.
“Senior Citizen”, “Cancer patient”, “overwhelming”, “threaten”…….throw in a bunch of buzz words to garner attention and sympathy.
That man is duplicitous and he knows it.
If they have a grievance speak with the relevant parties, which he did as the article said “Despite his condition, the man visited the government building and spoke with officials, who arranged for an enumerator to go to their home to help them fill out the form.”
I have had grievances with the Government and I spoke or wrote to the relevant persons and the issues were resolved in a professional manner.
I have never had to involve Cayman Compass, Cayman News Service or CMR!
Why was it necessary to go to media houses?
Ignorant people on other media sites are encouraging them to sue! Hogwash!
I see people here are slowly adopting our northern neighbours mentality……to sue for any and everything with the vision of getting quick, easy money.
This survey is not new, it has been around for decades, people mostly want to refuse because they feel it is intrusive.
To those people I say don’t ever ask the Government to provide you with anything again.
We have it so good here compared to other countries in the Caribbean and other countries(why do you think we have such a high expatriate population) but still all people here do is complain.
This man has made a fuss for nothing. The media houses picking up the story has fueled the frenzy.
Soon we will have everyone refusing to complete surveys for some silly reason or another and Government will get no information and businesses will get no information to continue to make their business grow.
The Government didn’t do anything wrong and they didnt need to apologize but because of the media frenzy they probably felt pressured to apologize.
A bunch of snowflakes.
Our Strata insurance has gone up 60% in two years. Several multiples of prevailing inflation rate, in a period of many years with no local claims. Where are consumer protection laws and regulations on predatory business practices? From unregulated fee-driven foreign banks, to colluding grocery stores, and fuel retailers: the gouging at work in the Cayman Islands has never been worse. In many sectors the price escalation is entirely out of step with “War in Ukraine” and other risk premiums. It’s just bottom line greed seeking any excuse to prop another hike. Consumers need protection!
@9:27:
Consumers need protection?
Tell that to the Panton-PACTless Clown Car. Panton is too busy protecting beach vendors to care about you.
They only understand vendor protection
Just try to imagine how life is when you make 6$ and hour minus 8$ a day for the bus.
No need to do a survey. Everybody knows and nobody cares.
Bunch of absolutely useless bureaucrats creating b.s. regulations to justify their b.s. jobs. And of course they take the attitude that the public is here to serve them.
👍👍
This is what happens when Members of Parliament pass laws that they don’t read nor understand. They pass any nonsense that is prepared by civil servants and handed to them, “here, pass this, we need this to be law”.
@11:12:
This is what happens when clueless voters elect Members of Parliament not caring what they stand for as long as they talk a good game.
This all is just a ploy to get into people’s personal business. When you do complete the form then they keep bombarding you with more and more questions. This is what happens when you have a bunch of government workers on the payroll and they have nothing to do. Guess they will all vote though!
Nonsense law if there is no “wiggle room”. If the randomly selected person is physically unable to complete the survey and he or she has no one in the household to assist with providing the information, then what.
It is a random selection so select another random person. Move on. Stop harassing people. Use your eyes observe and plan. What you are doing will make no damn difference. Cost of living is high and salaries are low. That is your survey. Plan around that. Insensitive people and invasive people you all are.
Harrassment, disturbing people’s peace and quiet and privacy banging, yes banging, on the door on a Sunday afternoon, Saturday afternoon, sticking cards through the door (open invitation to burglars) and on and on! All this after the survey had already been done before the deadline on the phone when their office was called because THEY had not been in touch!
UK statistics office:
Our work is very important and we need your help to make our studies successful. Every year about half a million people help us by taking part in our studies. No-one has to take part if they do not want to, but for us to paint an accurate picture of our society, it is vital that we interview as many people as possible, from all walks of life.
Cayman statistics office: Comply or be criminalised and fined, no excuses.
Surely that latter is ultra vires and/or unconstitutional… lawyers?
B S
Which part? The bit that says this is optional in the UK, or the bit that points out Cayman is wrong to enforce participation?
i filled out mine on the last day.just pulled the answers out of thin air.
Instead of threatening, why not have a secondary list of 50 potential fallback options to replace people that have valid reasons for not being able to participate, like this unfortunate couple. I would willingly have taken part as an alternate if given the opportunity and maybe others would too?
I was also threatened and from comments seems a lot of others were too.
There has to be a much better, efficient and more accurate way to get this info. How about from:
Grocery stores – price movement for common goods, purchasing trends etc
Utility companies – price movement per unit, average usage etc
Real estate agents – average rental or sales prices
etc, etc.
CIG: Too complex! Suggest something easier!
CIG : then we will not be able to hired additional staff at ridiculous salaries who will then vote for us. Sorry. We will continue to threaten people to get inaccurate and useless information.
Here we go criminalizing the citizens again, time to change that law as well.
2 things.
1. Why is this not an online survey?
2. Not one single answer I give them would have any element of truth to it.