The Role of Survey Research in Promoting Qatari National Development Qatar amid the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University organized a virtual research symposium entitled “The Role of Survey Research in Promoting Qatari National Development Qatar amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Present at the symposium were Prof. Mariam Ali Al-Maadeed, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at Qatar University, a number of university experts and researchers, and many interested researchers from various local private and public sector organizations.
Prof. Mariam Ali Al-Maadeed opened the event by observing, “The Institute of Social and Economic Survey Research at Qatar University has conducted various surveys and produced reliable information and statistics that helped state institutions and decision makers in formulating their policies and plans based on scientific data from the field.”
Prof. Al-Maadeed continued, “Today’s symposium is an important platform in which elite experts and stakeholders will participate in discussing the economic, social, psychological, and environmental consequences of the pandemic, and examining the role of survey research in supporting Qatar’s national development admit ongoing challenges.”
Also delivering opening remarks was Prof. Kaltham Al-Ghanim, Director of the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, who explained the aims of the symposium:
1. Emphasize the role of scientific research in improving reality and enhancing development policies.
2. Increase awareness of SESRI’s contribution to Qatar national development and its avid response to emerging events and emergencies through its survey-based research.
3. Connect SESRI researchers with stakeholders, beneficiaries, and interested parties in the private and public sector.
4. Highlight recent findings as well as innovations in survey research capacity since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The symposium consisted of four thematic panels, with presentations by seven researchers from SESRI, followed by questions from the audience. The first panel focused on social and economic development in Qatar, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Papers examined the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, including on financial wellbeing, family life, and social behavior, and how these effects have varied across different groups in Qatar’s society.
The second theme examined recent SESRI studies in the area of the environment and sustainable development. Specifically, presenters explained that food security and environmental pollution, both indoor and outdoor, are critical challenges for Qatar and other GCC states, and in order to address these challenges systematic data are required that give insight into the nature of the problem and potential solutions.
The third panel presented findings from recent surveys of mental health in Qatar. The discussion illuminated how the pandemic has generated psychological distress, anxiety, and depression within the population. It also examined differences in vulnerability across different groups in Qatar, and the ways in which today’s mental health picture differs from that prior to the pandemic.
The event concluded with a panel focusing on research capacity and data-driven governance amid Covid-19. This session considered the role of social scientific research in supporting evidenced-based and data-driven policymaking in Qatar. Presenters outlined some recent advances in survey methodology spurred on by the pandemic, as well as the role of e-government in promoting public services.
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY