Advantages of Experiential Measures of Water Insecurity
They are easy to use and analyze.
- The WISE Scales are open-access and already translated into many languages.
- The data are quick to collect (just 1-3 minutes depending on which tool).
- The data are simple to analyze; cut-offs are straightforward.
- The WISE Scales are familiar because they are "sisters" to existing experiential food security measures, such as the FIES, HFIAS, and ELCSA.
They generate valuable information.
- They add a human voice to the water sector.
- They are a more proximal predictor of human well-being than availability or infrastructure.
- They generate high-resolution, gender-disaggregated data.
- Data are comparable across time, infrastructure, climates, cultures.
- Data can be used to assess prevalence, target resources, measure impacts, and advocate for change.
- They are acknowledged as “smarter” indicators that “promote accountability” by U.K. Foreign Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith.