Plan research in South Sudan.
Explore a research brief for South Sudan, in Eastern Africa. Start with the decision you need to make, the people you need to reach and the evidence you need to collect.
Fieldwork context in South Sudan
English is the official language and is used for national government and many NGO documents, but broad respondent coverage needs local languages. Juba Arabic, Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Zande, Shilluk, and other languages may be needed depending on state and sample. Translation should assume oral administration and regional variation, with back-translation handled by local reviewers rather than only formal language specialists.
Juba is the main urban hub, while Wau, Malakal, Bor, Yei, and Bentiu are important for regional or humanitarian samples. The population is largely rural, with many communities dispersed along rivers, cattle areas, and displacement locations. National samples need careful state definitions, security-aware clustering, and separate treatment of displaced people, while targeted studies often use accessible urban and camp frames.
Mobile access is useful in towns but uneven across rural and conflict-affected areas, and online surveys are limited to connected urban, official, and NGO populations. Face-to-face fieldwork depends on security clearance, rains, road passability, air transport, and local authority acceptance. Health, humanitarian, and public studies commonly require ethics review, government letters, and flexible data collection windows of several weeks.
Fieldwork notes compiled from public sources by Surveysphere Africa; confirmed with our in-country partner before a study starts.
Define your local study requirements
Plan the locations, participants and practical requirements for your study.
Study locations and participants
Identify the locations and audiences you need to reach in South Sudan. Confirm access and recruitment feasibility before commissioning.
Languages and methods
Specify interview languages, accessibility needs and your preferred collection approach. Local availability must be confirmed.
Timing and approvals
Share your intended fieldwork dates and any institutional or participant approval requirements.
Research approaches in South Sudan
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Plan your study in South Sudan.
Tell us who you need to reach in South Sudan, what you need to learn and when. We will discuss the feasibility with you.
Discuss a study in South Sudan