Task:

Measuring financial access and usage of digital payment products, inclusive of electronic retail payment services, amongst the adult population in Jamaica in 2023.

Action:

A household-based island-wide cross-sectional survey among 1,003 Jamaican adults. A survey with 420 small and micro merchants.

Result

The study revealed that financial inclusion was at 77.2%, this means only 22.8% of adults did not have an account at a formal financial institution and so in effect were “unbanked”. Key Barriers to Financial Inclusion: Requirements to open a bank account and limitations of digital payment options at merchants where a large segment of the population shops regularly.

Task:

Evaluating communication campaign on the Healthy School Nutrition Policy in 2023.

Action:

Island-wide household survey with 1502 adults aged 18-55 years including parents of school aged children.

Result

As a result of the campaign, 84% of respondents reported being willing to ask the government to prevent the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages in schools. Most (56%) parents expressed concern about their children’s access to these unhealthy foods and beverages in schools and supported the need for a regulation on the sale of same, whether by the schools or by the government.

Task:

Tracking the attitude and behaviour of the general public to HIV/AIDS in 2017.

Action:

Knowledge, Attitude, Behaviour and Practices (KABP) island wide survey with 2000 Jamaicans aged 15-49yrs.

Result

32.9% of persons 15-24 years, were able to correctly identify both ways of preventing HIV transmission while rejecting major misconceptions. 31% of respondents admitting to engaging in transactional sex. 33% of respondents did an HIV Test in the past twelve (12) months.