Our approach

Prindex surveys ask how likely people think it is that they will lose their land or property against their will in the next five years. We believe perceptions matter because they provide a strong indication of how people are likely to behave in the future – if they trust that they can stay on their land, they are more likely to invest in their homes, farms and local communities.

Most land and property rights surveys focus on the legal rights of the typically male head of household. We speak to a randomly selected adult in every home we survey and are therefore more inclusive of the views of women, younger people, and people living in informal housing. Gathering perceptions data also allows us to directly compare people living under very different legal systems around the world.

The Prindex global survey

For our global survey, we interviewed a nationally representative sample of around 1,000 people in 140 different countries.

Data on the first 33 countries was collected by the research organisations Gallup and CrossTab using a standard questionnaire in 2018. Data on the remaining 107 countries was gathered using face-to-face and telephone questionnaires as part of the Gallup World Poll in 2019. The questionnaires were localised to ensure they could be clearly understood, including the types of documents people could list as proof of their rights.

For detailed information on how data was collected, download our codebook for researchers and our Q&A on how the global survey was conducted.