PAX’s Protection of Civilians team developed the Human Security Survey (HSS) methodology and research approach to expand civilians’ voice and agency on protection issues. The HSS is currently implemented in South Sudan (since 2016) and Iraq (since 2017). The PoC team is preparing an introductory pilot survey in Burkina Faso, expected to take place in the latter half of 2025.
In conflict-affected contexts, civilians often lack the means or access to constructively engage with authorities and security actors regarding their security needs and priorities. Conversely, national or international security actors may lack a detailed understanding of local dynamics and base their security interventions on misperceptions of the root causes and drivers of conflict, thereby hindering their own effectiveness in providing protection.
Through the HSS, civilians who are living in conflict have greater awareness, voice, and agency on the protection issues that affect them personally. Using the data from the HSS, security policies and their implementations can be better tailored to local needs, priorities, and capacities. To achieve this goal, PAX and its partners conduct large-scale quantitative research in conflict areas and look closely at how different populations are affected differently by conflict. Critically, it is central to our methodology that we bring the data back to the communities we survey to validate the data and ensure that it can be used to inform inclusive, locally driven responses.
The HSS covers a wide range of topics, including the nature of security threats facing civilians, the impact of these experiences on their daily lives, the presence and performance of security actors, and civilians’ expectations for the future. We then bring the research findings back to local communities to create opportunities for dialogue about civilian security priorities with key authorities from local government, security forces, religious and social institutions, local armed groups, and civil society.
At the international level, the HSS is used to influence the policy-making efforts of diplomats and troop contributors active in these environments by providing first-hand information about the realities of conflict-affected populations. By continuing the survey over multiple years, PAX and its partners track trends and work towards more sustainable change. The survey itself is therefore best seen as a means to an end, with the ultimate aim of facilitating more informed and effective protection of civilians.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the PAX publication with our full HSS methodology.
In 2025, PAX intends to introduce the Human Security Survey in Burkina Faso by adapting the HSS methodology to the local context and preparing the first pilot survey in the country. In doing so, we will work with national partner organization OCADES.
In Iraq, every year our partners interview at least 650 civilians in the Basra, Diyala, Kirkuk and Salahaddin governorates to gather insights into the perceptions of civilians on their own safety and security. Using this data, we engage communities and authorities in dialogue about how to make security strategies more civilian-centered. HSS data collection in Iraq primarily took place between 2016-25. From 2026 onwards, the PoC team will be changing the nature of the questionnaire.
In South Sudan, every two years local partners and consultants interview approximately 500-600 community members across five states: Jonglei, Unity, Lakes, Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria. Data is collected both through one-on-one interviews and constructive dialogue between civilians and authorities during participatory validation workshops. Local Community Security Committees (COMSECCOMs) follow up on key recommendations with grassroots community field activities.
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