Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report

Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report
Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis
Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey

Global Report March 2007
Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis
MEMORANDUM DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: March 23, 2007 Regional Directors, Chiefs of Operations, and Senior Staff Ronald Tschetter, Director 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer Survey Global Report
I am pleased to provide you with copies of the global report from the 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) survey. This report is also available on the agencys Intranet. These results provide a comprehensive picture of the activities, experiences, and views of Peace Corps Volunteers in service in 2006. These results may be used to identify strengths and areas for improvement within the Peace Corps. Please review the survey results and consider how they can be applied to your programming, training, and policymaking decisions. The PCV survey is conducted every two years and is one of a few standardized survey instruments used to collect information directly from Volunteers. Through these surveys, Volunteers have a voice to inform headquarters of the Peace Corps strengths and areas that require improvement or attention. The PCV survey asks Volunteers about training, program effectiveness, various types of Volunteer support, health and safety issues, the perceived impact of Volunteers work, and overall assessments of their Peace Corps experience. The PCV survey also includes topics that are not covered in other surveys or assessments, such as preparation for Peace Corps and Volunteers on-site amenities such as electricity, running water and telecommunications access, as well as resources that help Volunteers in their HIV/AIDS-related activities. I would like to thank the country directors (CDs) for providing the opportunity and encouragement for the Volunteers to complete the survey by distributing and collecting the paper surveys and for providing computer access for Volunteers who opted to complete the survey online. Surveys from 4,482 Volunteers (75 percent) were collected worldwide. More than half (59 percent) of respondents completed the survey online. Without the support and follow-through of the regional directors, CDs and other overseas and headquarters staff, this critical survey would not have had such a high response rate. If you have any questions or would like to make suggestions for the next survey, please contact Dr. Paul Jhin, Director of the Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis, at 202.692.2134.
Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 5 II. Report Highlights....................................................................................................................................... 9 III. Profile of Respondents........................................................................................................................... 13 IV. Preparation for Peace Corps Service .................................................................................................... 17 V. Training for Peace Corps Assignment.................................................................................................... 19 VI. Volunteers Peace Corps Assignment ................................................................................................... 24 Primary Assignment and Related Activities............................................................................................ 24 Secondary Activities ............................................................................................................................... 26 Hours Worked Per Week ........................................................................................................................ 26 Assignment Match with Volunteers Skills .............................................................................................. 28 Overall Assessments of Primary Assignment ........................................................................................ 29 Technical Skills Needed for Primary Assignments................................................................................. 30 Volunteer Capacity Building ................................................................................................................... 31 Project Resources .................................................................................................................................. 33 Third-Goal Activities................................................................................................................................ 35 VII. Life in the Peace Corps ........................................................................................................................ 36 Preparation of Host Country Colleagues and Work Site ........................................................................ 37 Amenities at Residence and Work Site .................................................................................................. 38 Communications ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Correspondence Match/Coverdell World Wise Schools......................................................................... 40 Masters International Program .............................................................................................................. 41 VIII. Volunteer Safety and Security ............................................................................................................. 42 Threats to Volunteer Safety .................................................................................................................... 42 Crimes Against Volunteers ..................................................................................................................... 45 IX. Peace Corps Staff Support.................................................................................................................... 51 Family or Personal Emergency .............................................................................................................. 51 Proximity of Volunteers to Peace Corps Support ................................................................................... 52 Support Received from Peace Corps Staff............................................................................................. 54 Emotional Stressors................................................................................................................................ 55 Visits from In-Country Peace Corps Staff............................................................................................... 57 X. Volunteers Working in HIV/AIDS ............................................................................................................ 60 XI. Overall Satisfaction................................................................................................................................ 66 XII. Volunteer Recommendations and Comments...................................................................................... 70 Appendix: 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer Survey Instrument ...................................................................... 71
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The Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report
For internal use only; do not distribute without Peace Corps authorization.
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Peace Corps Volunteer Survey Results: Global Report
I. Introduction
The Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) survey is administered as a confidential questionnaire, which can also be completed online through the Internet. The survey covers Volunteers attitudes and experiences with such topics as Peace Corps training, programming, staff and host country support, health, and safety. The PCV survey is a biennial census of all currently serving Volunteers, instead of a small sample of Volunteers. The benefit of this approach is that Volunteers have the opportunity at least once during their two-year service to share their observations, experiences, and recommendations through this comprehensive and confidential questionnaire. The 2006 PCV survey (see Appendix) is almost entirely composed of questions with a fixed set of choices from which respondents choose. The survey questions are organized into general topic areas, beginning with a few questions on the Volunteers background, preparation for the Peace Corps, and training. In all, the survey has 84 numbered items and three final open-ended questions. More than 500 data elements are generated from this 16-page survey. The 2006 PCV survey was distributed to all Peace Corps posts for Volunteers to complete between March 31, 2006, and June 26, 2006. More than 75 percent of all eligible participants4,482 Volunteers serving in 65 posts throughout the worldcompleted the survey.
Changes from the 2004 PCV Survey

In January and February 2006, an advisory panel representing 12 Peace Corps headquarters (HQ) offices reviewed the 2004 PCV questionnaire and recommended several changes that were incorporated into the 2006 PCV survey. In general, changes were minimal in order to maintain continuity with prior biennial surveys. The changes included the following: The 2006 survey included a set of questions for all Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS activities. Many of the 2004 questions about specific types of HIV/AIDS activities were eliminated in 2006 because that information is now collected by the Peace Corps Office of AIDS Relief. Based on recommendations from the Office of Safety and Security (OSS), the PCV surveys definitions of some types of crime were changed to fit crime-reporting definitions recently adopted by OSS. With these changes, the PCV surveys reported numbers and types of crimes may be compared to OSS crime data. Another addition to the 2006 survey was to ask about the number of times that Volunteers experiences with crime/s were reported, which provides useful information about reported versus unreported crimes. New items addressing the agencys second and third goals (respectively, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans) were also added to the 2006 survey. Other new questions asked about Volunteers personal commitment and willingness to take responsibility, which may determine their success in the Peace Corps.
Methodology
Every Volunteer who had been in-country for at least three months and sworn-in as a Volunteer by March 31, 2006, was eligible to participate in the survey. For only the second time in the PCV surveys history, 5
Volunteers had the option of completing either a paper survey or an online survey. In March 2006, all posts received instructions about how Volunteers could access and complete the online survey through a secure Internet site. Most posts also received instructions with the paper surveys, already placed in sealable envelopes addressed to Peace Corps headquarters. The survey was fielded from March 31 through June 26, 2006 (12 weeks), after a two-week extension was allowed. The official cut-off for the paper surveys was July 21, 2006, although surveys mailed by the June 26 deadline but received after July 21 were accepted. At the time of administration, 5,983 Volunteers were eligible to take the survey, according to the agencys Volunteer database and verified by staff at each post. Surveys from 4,557 Volunteers were collected worldwide. Surveys from 13 Volunteers were deleted because they did not meet the criteria of having been in-country for at least three months. Sixty-two surveys (1 percent) were dropped from the analysis because less than half of the survey was completed. The remaining 4,482 surveys represent an overall response rate of 75 percent, an increase of 7 percent from the response rate for the 2004 PCV survey (68 percent). Additionally, more than half (59 percent) of the 2006 PCV survey respondents completed the survey online compared to 38 percent of the 2004 PCV survey respondents.
Posts/Countries
The PCV survey was mailed to 67 posts, representing 73 countries. After the survey period started, two posts suspended operations: Chad in April 2006 and East Timor in May 2006. No surveys were received from East Timor before Peace Corps activities were suspended. One completed survey was received from a Volunteer in Chad, which was not included in the final survey dataset. Completed surveys were received from Volunteers in all 65 posts that remained operational through the entire survey period.
Data Analysis
This report primarily presents descriptive statistics, such as frequency of responses, averages, and crosstabulations. Many of the PCV survey questions asked respondents to select one of five possible options, described by a set of appropriate words and translated into numeric values on a five-point scale. For example, when Volunteers rated various aspects of their pre-service training (PST), their responses are coded from one (not at all effective) to five (very effective). The responses are standardized on a fivepoint scale and numerically averaged to create an average rating across all respondents. This method facilitates an easier comparison of how Volunteers rated each of the items.
Presentation of data
Each table and figure includes the number of Volunteers who responded to that particular survey question (denoted as n=####) and the survey question number. The number of respondents varies by question. Please note that the specific percentages in the figures and tables may not add to 100 because of rounding to the nearest whole number. For multiple-response questions (i.e., mark as many as apply), each reported percentage was calculated from the number of individuals who selected that particular response divided by the total number of individuals who answered the question by selecting one or more responses. Since respondents may select more than one response to answer multiple response questions, the sum of the percents for all responses to any multiple response question will almost certainly total more than 100. For example, question A2 asked Volunteers to identify all activities (mark all that apply) that are part of their primary assignment work. The 4,430 Volunteers who answered question A2 provided a total of 20,075 responses, almost five times the number of respondents. One of the 19 possible responses was English teaching, which was selected by 2,014 Volunteers. This means that of all the Volunteers who answered question A2, 46 percent said that their primary assignment activities include English teaching. 6
This percentage was calculated by dividing the 2,014 respondents who chose English teaching by all 4,430 Volunteers who answered question A2. Most Volunteers selected more than one primary assignment activity, so the sum of the percents for each response in question A2 is 453 percent. This indicates that question A2 respondents identified, on average, four to five activities that are part of their primary assignment work. A copy of the 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer Survey is in the Appendix. An electronic version of the questionnaire is posted on the Peace Corps Intranet.
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II. Report Highlights

The following information highlights strengths and areas for improvement based on the data contained within the report. The findings are incorporated into suggestions for training, programming, and general Volunteer support.
Preparation and Training of Volunteers

More than half of all respondents (51 percent) confirmed that the Peace Corps had prepared them, both physically and mentally, to meet the challenges of Peace Corps service either exceptionally or considerably well. Volunteers rated pre-service training (PST) and in-service training (IST) topics as adequate to effective. The training topics with the highest effectiveness ratings were: Maintain your personal safety and security (PST and IST) Maintain your physical health (PST and IST) Manage cultural differences (PST) Use language needed in work (IST)
Most respondents also confirmed that the time spent on the training in these areas was about the right length rather than too short or too long. The three PST and IST topics that received the lowest effectiveness ratings and were reported to have been too short in terms of training length were: Improve working relationships with counterparts Monitor project goals and outcomes Use Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) training.
Volunteer Assignments
Most Volunteers have primary assignments within the education, health, or business sectors. When asked to identify all activities they do as part of their primary assignment, Volunteers most frequently said they were involved in: Working with youth (64 percent) English teaching (45 percent) Working with nongovernmental organization(s) (40 percent) HIV/AIDS-related work (35 percent)
More than half (60 percent) of the Volunteers spend more than 20 hours per week on their primary assignment activities. Almost all Volunteers (88 percent) were also involved in secondary activities. Of those involved in secondary activities, 40 percent reported that they spend more than 10 hours per week on secondary activities. Almost half of the Volunteers (48 percent) said their skills, interests, and experiences were utilized well or very well by their primary assignment, while 21 percent said their skills were not at all or poorly used by their primary assignment. A majority of Volunteers are very to mostly clear about their project goals and objectives, responsibilities, project/sector activities, and the associate Peace Corps director (APCD)/program 9
managers responsibilities. More than one-third (35 percent) of Volunteers reported that they are not at all or only somewhat clear about their sponsoring agencys responsibilities. A majority of survey respondents said that their assignment goals and activities meet the objectives of their project considerably or exceptionally well. Volunteers reported being less sure about how well their assignment goals and activities were building local capacity for sustainability.
Project Resources
Most Volunteers (between 75 to 88 percent) who have used small project assistance (SPA) grants, the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), Peace Corps Resource Center materials, or HIV/AIDS funding evaluated these resources as moderately to very effective. Almost half of the respondents are aware of SPA grants and the PCPP as potential resources for their work, but have not used either. Over one-third (37 percent) of the survey respondents said they were unaware of any HIV/AIDS funding that could potentially support their activities.
Volunteer Safety and Security

Most Volunteers (87 percent) feel adequately to very well informed about events in their host country that might affect their safety. Almost all Volunteers feel safe where they live and work; less than 3 percent feel unsafe. Most Volunteers (54 percent to 96 percent) have not experienced incidents such as petty theft or harassment; likewise, most (75 percent to 99 percent) have not been victims of serious crimes in their host country. Slightly more Volunteers reported feeling unsafe when they traveled in-country (10 percent feel often unsafe or not at all safe) and in the city where the main Peace Corps office was located (12 percent feel often unsafe or not at all safe). When traveling, more Volunteers felt that their safety had been threatened by transportation conditions posed by vehicles, drivers, or roads than by harassment by strangers, police stops, or theft. When asked about their experiences with different types of harassment, more than half of the Volunteers reported that they had never experienced anti-American, racial, religious, or sexual harassment during the past 12 months. The most typical type of harassment reported was sexual harassment, almost all (94 percent) of which was verbal rather than physical. Female Volunteers experience sexual harassment at a much higher rate than men, and men experience anti-American harassment at a slightly higher rate than women. The most prevalent serious crime experienced by 25 percent of the survey respondents was serious theft (defined as no contact with the thief who has taken money or item(s) valued at $25 or more). Most victims of serious theft experienced only one theft during the past 12 months. Most reported the crime to their safety and security coordinator. Other less prevalent crimes reported by Volunteers were simple assault involving no weapon or injury (8 percent); sexual assault other than rape (7 percent); and robbery involving contact with the perpetrator. All other types of serious crimes were experienced by 1 percent or less of the respondents.
Peace Corps Support

Almost three-quarters of the Volunteers were either considerably or exceptionally satisfied with the incountry healthcare they receive from the Peace Corps medical officer (PCMO). On average, Volunteers rated the medical support higher (an average score of four on a five-point scale) than other types of support. The other highly rated type of in-country Peace Corps support, with an average score of 3.8, was safety and security.
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The top three topics mentioned as considerably to exceptionally problematic in creating stress/emotional health issues were: Primary assignment (24 percent) Cultural issues (18 percent) Relationships with host country nationals (15 percent).
Topics reported to cause the least stress were safety and security, relationships with other Volunteers, and relationships with Peace Corps staff. A majority of Volunteer respondents have been visited at least twice by a program staff Member. About one-third have received at least one visit from both the country director (CD) and the PCMO. Most (80 percent or more) of Volunteers who have been visited by their country director, program staff member, PCMO, or safety and security coordinator evaluated the visit(s) as either adequate or more than adequate on all four criteria (frequency, informative content, comfort level discussing issues, and responsiveness to issues).
Volunteers Working in HIV/AIDS

Fifty-five percent of all respondents said they are involved in HIV/AIDS-related activities as part of their Peace Corps service. When asked to describe their level of involvement in this area, 12 percent said that the work is part of their primary assignment, 22 percent said that the work is part of their secondary activities, and the other 21 percent are involved in HIV/AIDS-related efforts, but not as part of their primary or secondary work. About two-thirds of the Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS-related activities reported that the Peace Corps moderately to substantially prepared them to work in this area. More than three-quarters (78 percent) of the respondents said that they go to fellow Volunteers for more information or advice to do a better job in their HIV/AIDS community work. More than half said that they closely collaborate with Volunteers from other sectors in this work. Volunteers favored obtaining additional types of assistance to help them in their HIV/AIDS work; the most frequently mentioned items were: Training tools to use in the community (64 percent) References with HIV/AIDS information (53 percent) Visits from technical experts (52 percent) Workshops on training skills (51 percent).
The least mentioned (20 percent) type of assistance that Volunteers said would be helpful in their HIV/AIDS work was emotional support/listening to my feelings. Finally, more than one-third of all Volunteers with any level of involvement in HIV/AIDS-related activities rated their effectiveness in working with host country individuals or groups as often or almost always effective. Looking only at the responses of Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS work as part of their primary assignment, more than half rated their effectiveness as often or almost always effective.
Overall Satisfaction with Peace Corps Service

The majority of Volunteers feel that their Peace Corps service is personally rewarding, either considerably (40 percent) or exceptionally (34 percent). Most Volunteers (78 percent) intend to complete their service, and 14 percent indicated that they might extend.
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In response to other overall satisfaction questions, a majority of survey respondents answered that they: would definitely make the same decision to join Peace Corps again today, would definitely recommend Peace Corps service to others who are qualified, and have considerably or exceptionally helped host country nationals to gain a better understanding of the United States and its people.
Almost half (47 percent) of respondents felt that their host country would benefit if the Peace Corps were maintained at the current level. Another one-third felt that the host country would benefit if the program were expanded.
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III. Profile of Respondents

The following information summarizes the characteristics of the Volunteers who responded to the 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) survey.
Comparable Characteristics from the Peace Corps Volunteer Database

The characteristics of PCVs who responded to this survey are almost identical to the population of Volunteers serving at the start of the survey. With a survey response rate of 75 percent, the survey respondents are representative of all Volunteers sworn-in and serving abroad at the time of the survey. This is evident from the almost identical demographic profile of Peace Corps Volunteers according to the agencys database below, compared to the survey respondent demographics in the following section. The agencys database indicates that, as of March 31, 2006, there were 5,898 Volunteers who were eligible to participate in the survey (i.e., in-country at least three months or more as of March 31). According to the agencys database, 58 percent of Volunteers were female and 42 percent male. Ninety percent of all Volunteers were under the age of 35. Volunteer ages ranged from 20 years old to 80 years old, with an average age of 28 and a median age of 25. Volunteers were predominantly Caucasian (82 percent), 5 percent were Asian American, and 5 percent were more than one race. Most Volunteers (86 percent) were single/never married. Almost all Volunteers (97 percent) held at least a bachelors degree or higher degree. Based on this profile of all Volunteers, the survey respondents are representative of all Volunteers in service on March 31, 2006, with only minor differences (1 percent plus or minus).
Demographic Data of Survey Respondents

Note that the details within the figures and tables may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Figure 1. Sex of Respondents (question J2)
Female 59%
Male 41%
Sex (n=4349). The majority of respondents (59 percent) are female. Men represent 41 percent of the respondents.
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Figure 2. Age Groups of Respondents (question J1)
25-34 years: 49%
20-24 years: 40%
4%: 35-44 years 6%: 45-64 years 1%: 65+ years
Age (n=4215). The average age of the respondents is 28 years old. The median age (i.e., half are older and half are younger) is 25 years old. Most (89 percent) are under 35 years of age. The youngest respondents are 20 years old and the oldest 80 years of age. Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
Figure 3. Race/Ethnicity of Respondents (question J3)

5%: Asian Am erican 5%: Tw o or m ore races Caucasian (not Hispanic) 83% 3%: African American 3%: Hispanic/Latino <1%: Haw aiian/Pacific Island <1%: Native Am erican
Race/Ethnicity (n=4331). Most survey respondents (83 percent) are Caucasian (not Hispanic/Latino). The next largest groups are Asian Americans (5 percent) and those of two or more races (5 percent). Three percent are African American and another 3 percent are Hispanic/Latino. Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders are less than 1 percent of all respondents, as are Native Americans. Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
Figure 4. Marital Status of Respondents (question J4)
10%: Married serving w ith spouse Single, never m arried: 85% 4%: Divorced 1%: Married serving w ithout spouse <1%: Widow ed
Marital Status (n=4370). Most respondents (85 percent) are single/never married. Another 10 percent are married serving with their spouses. Four percent are divorced, 1 percent serving without their spouse, and less than 1 percent are widowed. Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
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Figure 5. Education Level of Respondents (question J5)
14%: Master's degree 1%: Doctorate degree 1%: Technical school/ Other 1%: Associate's degree <1%: High school degree or equivalent Bachelor's degree 83%
Education (n=4369). Almost all respondents (98.5 percent) hold at least a bachelors degree or a higher degree. One percent have a technical school degree/other. One percent hold an associates degree, and less than 1 percent have a high school degree or equivalent. Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
Figure 6. Foreign Language Experience (question A4) Foreign Language (n=4470). More than half of the respondents (57 percent) had more than two years of foreign language education or professional experience requiring foreign language fluency in the 10 years prior to their Peace Corps training. At the extremes of language experience, 14 percent had no foreign language experience and 14 percent had more than six years of foreign language experience. Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figure 7. Months In-Country (question A3)
1-2 years 21% Under 1 yr 8% None 14% 7+ years 14% 3-4 years 26%
5-6 years 17%
13-18 months 16%
19-27 months 34%
7-12 months 39%
4%: 28+ months
Months In-Country (n=4472). Almost half (46 percent) have been in-country one year or less, including pre-service training. Exactly half (50 percent) have been in-country more than one year, but not longer than 27 months. Only 4 percent have already completed their first tour (in-country 28 months or more). Figure labels are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
7%: 3-6 months
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Table 1 below provides more detail on the characteristics of the 2006 PCV survey respondents for key racial and ethnic groups. There are some demographic differences across the groups. For example, respondents in the all other group (consisting of multi-race, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Native Americans) come closest to an equal distribution between females (58 percent) and males (42 percent). African-American respondents have the largest gender distribution difference, with 66 percent female. Slightly more (over 7 percent) Caucasian Volunteers are 50 years or older compared to all other race/ethnicity groups with 5 percent or less of Volunteers age 50 or older. Almost one-quarter (24 percent) of the African-American respondents hold graduate degrees compared to all other groups in which 16 percent or less hold graduate degrees.
African American Sex Female Male Age (in years) 2029 3039 4049 5059 6069 70 + Marital status Single, never married Married/serving with spouse Married/serving without spouse Divorced Widowed Education High school or equivalent Technical school/Other Associates degree Bachelors degree Graduate degree 75% 24%
(n=123) (n=122)
Asian American/ Pacific Islander

(n=249)
Caucasian (not of Hispanic origin)

(n=3580)
Hispanic
(n=119)
All Other
(n=234)
Table 1. Demographics by Race/Ethnicity

Some percentages do not total 100 due to rounding. Missing data are not used in the calculation of percentages.
66% 33%
(n=115)
65% 35%
(n=245)
59% 41%
(n=3484)
65% 35%
(n=109)
58% 42%
(n=218)
75% 16% 4% 2% 3%
86% 9% 1% 2% 2%
81% 10% 2% 4% 3% <1%
85% 13% 1% 1%
88% 8% 1% 2% 1%
(n=249)
(n=3596)
(n=119)
(n=236)
87% 3% 3% 6% 1%
(n=123)
92% 5% <1% 2%
84% 10% 1% 4% 1%
86% 10% 2% 3%
88% 8% 1% 3%
(n=248)
(n=3597)
(n=119)
(n=235)
<1% <1% <1% 87% 13%
<1% 1% 1% 82% 16% 2% 1% 83% 14% 1% 1% 88% 10%
In summary, similar to all Volunteers, the 2006 Peace Corps survey respondents are predominantly young, well-educated, and single/never married across all race/ethnicity groups, with more female than male Volunteers. 16
IV. Preparation for Peace Corps Service

Volunteers were asked about the Peace Corps materials provided on the website and during the application process. As shown in Figure 8, almost three-quarters of all respondents answered that the Peace Corps website was moderately to extremely useful. Figure 8 also shows that only 4 percent replied that they didnt know or hadnt accessed the Peace Corps website. As shown in Figure 9, a majority of Volunteers found both country and primary assignment materials to be moderately to extremely useful. More respondents found the country materials useful in preparing for Peace Corps service than the primary assignment materials.
Extremely useful Very useful Moderately useful Minimally useful Not at all useful Don't know 0 2
4 22 47 21
4 10 20
Percent
Figure 8. How useful was the information on the Peace Corps website in preparing you for the realities of living and working as a Volunteer? (n=4469) (question B1)
30
40
50
Extremely useful Very useful Moderately useful Minimally useful Not at all useful 0
Assignment Materials
4 15 27 39 45 34 21 10
Country Materials
Figure 9. During the application process, how useful were the materials about your country (e.g., country Welcome Book) in helping you prepare for your experience? (n=4442) (question B2) During the application process, how useful were the Peace Corps materials about your primary assignment (e.g., Volunteer Assignment Description) in helping you prepare for your experience? (n=4450) (question B3)
10
20
Percent
30
40
50
Figure 10 summarizes Volunteers responses to a more all-inclusive question about preparation for Peace Corps service. The figure shows that most (86 percent) feel the Peace Corps moderately to extremely prepared them both physically and mentally to meet the challenges of service. Respondents evaluations of many specific types of training are reported in the next section.
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Exceptionally prepared Considerably prepared Adequately prepared Minimally prepared Not at all prepared 0 1
6 32 48 13
Figure 10. Overall, how well did the Peace Corps prepare you, both physically and mentally, to meet the challenges of Peace Corps service? (n=4424) (question C4)
10
20
Percent
30
40
50
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V. Training for Peace Corps Assignment

Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) were asked to assess the effectiveness of the training they received. The 2006 survey provided the following definitions of the three types of training: Community-based training: decentralized within multiple communities; trainees living with host families during training; incorporates trainee-directed learning activities. Center-based training: centralized around a training facility; trainees live in or near training center; incorporates instructor-directed activities. Mixed training: essentially center-based training, but incorporates field-based or self-directed learning activities; trainees stay with a host family and return to training center at end of field component.
Based on these definitions, over half of the Volunteers (56 percent) received community-based training, one-third (33 percent) received mixed training, and the remaining 11 percent received center-based training.
Communitybased Training: 56%
Mixed Training: 33%
Figure 11. Which of the following best describes your pre-service training? (n=4452) (question C1)
Centerbased Training: 11%
Volunteers rated the effectiveness of both pre-service training (PST) and in-service training (IST) components on a one-to-five scale (one equals not at all effective; five equals very effective). They also provided feedback on the length of each training component. Tables 2 and 3 present the PST and IST average scores for each component and the responses on training length. Figures 12 and 13 provide a rank-order listing the PST and IST training components in order of their effectiveness ratings; topics with the highest effectiveness ratings (largest percentages of effective and very effective) appear at the top. Table 2 shows that Volunteers felt most prepared by PST to maintain their personal safety and security (average = 3.7), as well as their physical health (average = 3.6). In terms of the training length, some Volunteers (22 percent) said that the PST personal safety and security training was too long, although most (73 percent) felt that it was the right length. The lowest PST effectiveness ratings were in the areas of improve working relationships with counterparts (average = 2.6) and monitor project goals and outcomes (average = 2.7). Fifty-six percent of the respondents said that training to improve working relationships with counterparts was too short; and 42 percent felt that training to monitor project goals and outcomes was too short.
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Not only did Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) training receive low effectiveness ratings, almost one-third (30 percent) of the respondents answered that this training was not applicable/no training.
Length of Training
Pre-Service Training Topics a. Manage cultural differences b. Deal with adjustment issues c. Improve working relationships with counterparts d. Use language needed in work and social interactions e. Perform technical aspects of your work f. Work with project goals and objectives g. Use Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) training h. Monitor project goals and outcomes i. Maintain your physical health j. Maintain your mental/emotional health k. Maintain your personal safety and security (n=4454) (n=4426) (n=4134) (n=4381) (n=4342) (n=4257) (n=3006) (n=3959) (n=4396) (n=4399) (n=4454) Average Rating 3.5 3.2 2.6 3.4 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 3.6 3.3 3.7 Too Short 15% 24% 56% 36% 39% 31% 39% 42% 10% 20% 4% Right Length 73% 69% 41% 60% 52% 62% 45% 53% 82% 74% 73% Too Long 13% 7% 3% 4% 8% 6% 16% 4% 8% 6% 22%
Table 2. Evaluation of preservice training (PST) topics. (question C2)

(Rating scale: 1=Not at all effective 2=Poor 3=Adequate 4=Effective 5=Very effective) Lowest rated areas are highlighted in yellow.
Figure 12 lists the PST components in order of their reported effectiveness from the highest percentage of more effective (combining effective and very effective responses) to the lowest. With the variation across these training components, it is important to note that most respondents rated every PST training component at least adequate or better.
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Figure 12. Evaluation of Pre-Service Training (PST) Topics. (question C2)

(More Effective = Effective + Very Effective; Less Effective = Poor + Not at all Effective)
Maintain personal safety & security Maintain physical health Manage cultural differences Use language needed in work Maintain mental/emotional health Deal with adjustment issues Perform technical aspects Work w/project goals & objectives Use PACA training* Monitor project goals & outcomes Improve working relationships
0%
57 53 49 46 38 32 25 21 18 14 11
10% 20%
37 38 42 36 46 50 41 50 49 48 44 45
40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
6 9 9 19 15 18 34 29 34 37
30%
100%
More Effective
Adequate
Less effective
*30 percent did not rate this training, answering NA/No Training.
Table 3 and Figure 13 provide information on training effectiveness and length for the IST components. Similar to the PST ratings, Volunteers felt most prepared by IST to maintain their personal safety and security (average = 3.5), as well as their physical health (average = 3.4). Half of all respondents (50 percent) answered not applicable/no training to the IST question about PACA training. Volunteers who did rate the effectiveness of PACA training reported low effectiveness (average = 2.8).
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Length of Training
In-Service Training Topics a. Manage cultural differences b. Deal with adjustment issues c. Improve working relationships with counterparts d. Use language needed in work and social interactions e. Perform technical aspects of your work f. Work with project goals and objectives g. Use Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) training h. Monitor project goals and outcomes i. Maintain your physical health j. Maintain your mental/emotional health k. Maintain your personal safety and security (n=3374) (n=3332) (n=3566) (n=3307) (n=3800) (n=3685) (n=1931) (n=3402) (n=3254) (n=3272) (n=3541) Average Rating 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.2 2.8 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.5 Too Short 18% 26% 39% 36% 31% 23% 30% 27% 13% 21% 6% Right Length 77% 70% 58% 61% 65% 72% 59% 68% 82% 74% 78% Too Long 5% 4% 3% 3% 5% 6% 11% 4% 5% 5% 16%
Table 3. Evaluation of In-service Training (IST) topics (question C3)

(Rating scale: 1=Not at all effective 2=Poor 3=Adequate 4=Effective 5=Very effective) Lowest rated areas are highlighted in yellow.
Figure 13. Evaluation of In-Service Training (IST) Topics (question C3) (More Effective = Effective + Very Effective; Less Effective = Poor + Not at all Effective)
Maintain personal safety & security Maintain physical health Use language needed in work Manage cultural differences Maintain mental/emotional health Perform technical aspects Work w/ project goals & objectives Deal with adjustment issues Monitor project goals & outcomes Improve working relationships Use PACA training*
0%
47 43 41 41 37 36 36 32 29 27 21
10% 20% 30% 40%
46 47 39 45 47 39 46 48 49 42 48
50% 60% 70% 80%
7 10 20 14 15 24 18 20 23 31 31
90% 100%
More Effective
Adequate
Less Effective
*52 percent did not rate this training and answered NA/No Training.
22
As shown in the above tables and figures, PST and IST training to maintain your personal safety and security and to maintain your physical health were the most effective of the 11 components. Training components to manage cultural differences and to use language needed in work were also highly rated. In fact, most components were rated as adequate or effective. More training time may be needed for the area, monitor project goals and outcomes, a topic added to the 2006 survey. Another low-rated topic, use of Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) training, may be less of a training priority at posts, with so many respondents answering not applicable/no training. Based on the low PST and IST ratings, one area that may need additional or enhanced training is the component to improve the working relationship with counterparts. Based on Volunteers observations, this area may require more training time.
23
VI. Volunteers Peace Corps Assignment

Primary Assignment and Related Activities
The following tables provide information on the primary assignments and type of activities performed by the Volunteers in their assignments. Table 4 shows that 21 percent of Volunteer respondents work in the primary assignment of English teaching. One-third of the Volunteers have primary assignments within the education sector. Health is the second most prevalent (16 percent) primary assignment. This includes Volunteers who identify their primary assignment specifically as HIV/AIDS-related (4 percent of the 16 percent). Almost one-quarter of all Volunteers (24 percent) have business-sector primary assignments of community development, business education/advising, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) development.
Sector
Education Sector (33%)
Primary Assignment
English teaching Math/science teaching Teacher training Other teaching
Percentage
21 4 5 3 10 9 5 16 3 5 3 7 6 1 3
Table 4. Which of the following best describes your primary assignment? (n=4465) (question A1)
Percentages do not total 100 due to rounding to the nearest whole number. Missing data are not used in the calculation of percentages.
Business Sector (24%)
Business education/advising Community development NGO development
Health Sector (19%)
Health (including HIV/AIDS) Water sanitation
Agriculture Sector (8%)
Agriculture/fish/livestock Agroforestry
Youth Development Sector (7%) Environment Sector (7%)
Youth development Environment education Forestry
Other (3%)
Volunteers were also asked which of 18 work activities they do as part of their primary assignment work. More than half (64 percent) reported that they work with youth, and 45 percent are involved in teaching English as part of their primary assignments. The percentages in Table 5 reflect that Volunteers were allowed to identify all relevant activities that were part of their primary assignment work. Most Volunteers identified more than one activity; indeed, more than half (61 percent) are involved in four or more primary work activities.
24
Work Activities
Working with youth English teaching Working with NGO(s) HIV/AIDS Girls education Income generation Environment work Rural development Information technology
Percentage
64% 45% 40% 35% 35%
Work Activities
Nutrition education Other Women in development (WID)/Gender and development (GAD) Micro-enterprise Business advising Biodiversity conservation Household food security Child survival
Percentage
23% 19% 17% 17% 17%
Table 5. Which of the following activities does your primary assignment work include? (n=4430) (question A2)
Percentages total more than 100 because Volunteers can choose more than one activity.
30% 28% 25% 25%
10% 9% 8%
Table 6 depicts the work activities most frequently associated with each of the six sectors. Working with youth is a top activity of many Volunteers in five of the six sectors (see blue-shaded boxes).
Sectors Agriculture
(n=384)
Work Activities Environment work Income generation Rural development
Percentage 70% 62% 55% 89% 68% 50% 72% 67% 63% 69% 69% 42% 95% 66% 63% 57% 55% 54%
Table 6. Top three activities most frequently associated with each sector. (question A2)
Percent of cases was used. Percentages total more than 100 because Volunteers could choose more than one work activity. Blue highlighting indicates the percentage of Volunteers in each sector who work with youth.
Environment
(n=307)
Environment work Working with youth Biodiversity conservation
Health
(n=848)
HIV/AIDS Working with youth Nutrition education
Education
(n=1454)
English teaching Working with youth Girls education
Youth
(n=315)
Working with youth Girls education English teaching
Business
(n=1042)
Working with NGO(s) Working with youth Income generation
25
Secondary Activities
The overwhelming majority of Volunteers (88 percent) are reportedly engaged in secondary activities in addition to their primary assignment work. When asked, Which of the following work do your secondary activities include? (Please mark all that apply) the largest percentages of Volunteers reported that their work included the following secondary activities: 1. Working with youth (60 percent) 2. English teaching (54 percent) 3. Girls education (32 percent) 4. Other (31 percent) 5. HIV/AIDS (28 percent) Similar to the many activities Volunteers reported in connection with their primary assignment, almost two-thirds of all respondents (n=3907) reported that they are involved in at least three or more secondary activities.
Hours Worked Per Week

Most respondents (60 percent) reported that they typically work more than 20 hours per week on their primary assignment, as shown in Figure 14.
More than 40 3140 2130 1120 110 None 0 1
9 19 32 28 12
Figure 14. How many hours do you spend on your primary assignment during an average work week? (n=4459) (question D1)
10
20
Percent
30
40
50
The majority of Volunteers (60 percent) engaged in secondary activities spent 10 hours or less during an average work week on these activities (Figure 15). Another 11 percent reported spending more than 20 hours per week on secondary activities.
26
More than 40 3140 2130 1120 110 0
1 2 8 29 60 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Figure 15. How many hours do you spend on your secondary activities during an average work week? (n=3900) (question D3)
Percent
Table 7 reports the percentage of time spent by Volunteers on primary assignments and secondary activities within each of the six sectors. Almost all (97 percent) of the education Volunteers spent more than 10 hours per week on primary assignment work. Volunteers in the agriculture sector spent more time on secondary activities compared to other sectors.
Sectors
Agriculture
Environment
Table 7.
Education (n=1450) 9% 23% 40% 25% 3% <1% (n=1251) <1% 1% 4% 20% 74% 1% Youth (n=315) 8% 17% 32% 32% 10% 1% (n=278) 1% 3% 8% 31% 58% <1% Business (n=1036) 10% 21% 29% 25% 13% 1% (n=914) 1% 2% 11% 33% 53% 1%
Health (n=842) 8% 15% 25% 34% 18% <1% (n=749) 1% 2% 11% 30% 56% <1%
Primary Assignment (hours)

More than 40 3140 2130 11 21 110 None
(n=381) 9% 12% 32% 27% 19% 1% (n=354) 2% 6% 14% 36% 42% 1%
(n=304) 4% 15% 24% 35% 21% <1% (n=278) 1% 4% 9% 33% 52% <1%
Hours Worked per Week by Sector
Secondary Assignment (hours)2

More than 40 3140 2130 1121 110 None
2
Sectors were based on the Volunteers primary assignments.
27
Assignment Match with Volunteers Skills

About half of the Volunteers (48 percent) felt that their skills, interests, and experiences were well or very well utilized by their primary assignment (Figure 16). Only 21 percent reported that their skills and interests were not adequately used in their primary assignment work.
Very well Well Adequately Poorly Not at all 0 2 10
15 33 31 19
Figure 16. To what extent are your skills, interests, and experiences utilized by your primary assignment? (n=4461) (question D7)
20
Percent
30
40
50
Most Volunteers (90 percent) confirmed that their Peace Corps work is personally rewarding or satisfying (Figure 17); almost one-fifth (17 percent) found their work exceptionally rewarding.
Exceptionally Considerably Moderately Minimally Not at all 0 1 10 9
17 41 32
Figure 17. To what extent is the work you do personally rewarding or satisfying? (n=4433) (question D5)
20
Percent
30
40
50
Volunteers with more than one year of Peace Corps service reported slightly higher levels of personal satisfaction; 61 percent of these Volunteers reported that their work was considerably or exceptionally satisfying, compared to 54 percent of the Volunteers with one year or less of service who felt considerably or exceptionally satisfied with their work.
28
Overall Assessments of Primary Assignment

Volunteers reported how clear they are about various aspects of their primary assignment and the extent to which their work achieves certain goals, such as building local sustainability. The following tables and figures depict this information. As shown in Table 8, two-thirds (66 percent) of responding Volunteers said that their project goals and objectives were mostly or very clear. The one exception is that less than half (42 percent) of respondents agreed that their sponsoring agencys responsibilities were mostly or very clear, and more than one-third (35 percent) said that their sponsoring agencys responsibilities were either not at all or only somewhat clear to them. Comparing the responses by Volunteers length of service, Volunteers in service one year or less gave slightly higher clarity ratings (overall rating = 3.7) to only one aspect of the assignmentthe associate Peace Corps director (APCD)/program managers responsibilitieswhich was rated slightly lower (overall rating = 3.5) by Volunteers who had been in-country more than a year
Clarity of Assignment Aspect

Project goals and objectives
(n=4419)
Overall Rating
3.8
Very/Mostly Clear 66%
Moderately Clear 16%
Not at all/ Somewhat Clear 18%
Table 8. How clear to you are the following aspects of your primary assignment? (question D9)
Responsibilities or duties
(n=4419)
3.6
60%
19%
21%
Project/sector activities Sponsoring agency's responsibilities APCD/program manager's responsibilities
(n=4390)
3.7
61%
21%
18%
(Rating scale: 1=Not at all clear 2=Somewhat clear 3=Moderately clear 4=Mostly clear 5=Very clear) Yellow highlighting indicates the lowest percentage of Volunteers reporting that their assignment goal is mostly to very clear.
(n=4224)
3.1
42%
23%
35%
(n=4374)
3.6
61%
18%
21%
Volunteers were also asked if their primary assignment work addressed specific objectives/activities and was supported by in-country staff and resources. As shown in Table 9, about half of the Volunteers responded that their primary assignment work met the objectives of their project exceptionally or considerably (51 percent); was supported by in-country staff and resources (49 percent); and included local people in planning and implementing activities (47 percent). The one assignment goal in which more Volunteers (34 percent) felt that their work did not help to achieve was building local capacity for sustainability.
29
Assignment Goals/ Activities

Meets the objectives of your project Builds local capacity for sustainability Includes local people in planning and implementing activities Complements other local development activities Is supported by in-country staff and resources
(n=4354)
Overall Rating
3.5
Exceptionally/ Considerably 51%
Adequately 31%
Not at all/ Minimally 17%
Table 9. To what extent does your primary assignment work do the following? (question D10)
(n=4353)
3.0
33%
33%
34%
(n=4339)
3.4
47%
30%
23%
(Rating scale: 1=Not at all 2=Minimally 3=Adequately 4=Considerably 5=Exceptionally)

Yellow highlighting indicates the lowest percentage of Volunteers reporting adequate or better achievement of assignment goals or activities.
(n=4231)
3.1
38%
32%
30%
(n=4368)
3.4
49%
30%
21%
Technical Skills Needed for Primary Assignments

Volunteers were also asked to provide feedback on specific technical skills needed to complete their work and whether or not the Peace Corps adequately provided them with these skills. As shown in Table 10, most Volunteers agreed that they needed each of these skills for their work in the Peace Corps. More than half of the respondents confirmed that they already had assignment-specific skills (57 percent), as well as the skills to organize community activities (52 percent) and monitor/report project work (64 percent) before joining the Peace Corps. Less than one-third said that they had the skills to assess community needs (31 percent) and to build the capacity of local organizations (26 percent). Most Volunteers felt they received adequate training in these skill areas. The one exception is that less than half of the Volunteers (41 percent) felt they received adequate training to build the capacity of local organizations. This is highlighted in yellow in the table below. Only 26 percent of the respondents had this skill before joining the Peace Corps, and most (75 percent) agreed that local capacity building was needed for their Peace Corps work. This finding is similar to the low rating by Volunteers of their work to build local capacity for sustainability (question D10 reported in the prior section). More training in this area is recommended.
30
Is the skill needed for your work in the Peace Corps?
Did you have the skill before joining the Peace Corps?
Have you had adequate Peace Corps training in this skill?
Percent answering yes a) Assignment-specific skills b) Assess community needs c) Organize community activities d) Build capacity of local organizations e) Monitor/report project work f) Design/implement training sessions
88% 91% 89% 75% 89% 83% 57% 31% 52% 26% 64% 43% 57% 72% 62% 41% 66% 58%
Table 10. Technical Skills Related to Their Work (n=4371) (question D8)
Yellow highlighting indicates the lowest percentage of Volunteers reporting adequate Peace Corps training in this skill.
Volunteer Capacity Building

Volunteers rated the effectiveness of their primary assignment work in terms of the impact it has had to build or develop the capacities (knowledge, skills, and activities) of the host communities where they live and work. Volunteers were asked to assess the impact of their work on the capacities of: Host country counterparts (teachers, health workers, community leaders, NGO personnel, etc.) Other host country individuals (students, farmers, villagers, etc.) Organizations (NGO, school, community group, etc.)
Across the three sets of overall ratings presented in Tables 11, 12, and 13, Volunteers responded with slightly more positive ratings for their work with host country individuals than their reported minimal-tomoderate impact on the capacities of host country counterparts (people they work with) and organizations such as schools and community groups. Across the types of capacities listed in each of these three tables, Volunteers indicated that they had a considerable impact in only one area: better understanding of Americans. This item was added to 2006 PCV survey as an indicator of Volunteers perceived success in achieving the Peace Corps second goal (to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served). These second-goal indicators received the most positive overall ratings (3.7 to 4.1). In addition to their positive impact on a better understanding of Americans, Table 12 shows that Volunteers believe they have had at least a moderate impact on host country individuals self-esteem (average score = 3.4), leadership (average score = 3.1), and problem solving (average score = 3.0). There are slight but consistent differences in the overall ratings for all three groups (host country counterparts, host country individuals, and organizations) when Volunteer responses are compared by length of service in the three tables below. Volunteers with more than one year of service were slightly more positive about the impact of their work on the capacities of the three groups than Volunteers who have been in service one year or less. 31
Rating by Time in Service
Capacities of Host Country Counterparts

Problem solving Self-esteem Technical skills Accessing information (e.g., library, Internet) Planning and management Identifying resources Leadership Using local resources Better understanding of Americans
(n=4249) (n=4168) (n=4256) (n=4171) (n=4234) (n=4208) (n=4198) (n=4195) (n=4317)
Overall Rating 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.8 4.0
One year or less 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 3.9
More than one year 2.8 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 4.1
Table 11. How much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of your host country counterparts (e.g., teachers, health workers, community leaders, NGO personnel, etc.)? (question D11)
(Rating scale: 1=Not at all 3=Moderate 5=Exceptionally) Blue highlighting indicates the highest positive overall rating.
Capacities of Host Country Individuals

(n=4287) (n=4280) (n=4263) (n=4206) (n=4231) (n=4241) (n=4068) (n=4222) (n=4324)
Overall Rating 3.0 3.4 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.9 4.1
One year or less 2.9 3.3 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.7 4.0
Table 12. How much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of your host country individuals (e.g., students, farmers, villagers, etc.)? (question D12)
32
Capacities of Organizations
Identify and prioritize organizational needs Management and leadership Teamwork & participatory decisionmaking Monitoring/evaluation Access information & resources Plan & implement organizational activities Better understanding of Americans
(n=4012) (n=3997) (n=4027) (n=3996) (n=4005) (n=4029)
Overall Rating 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.9
One year or less 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.6
More than one year 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.8
Table 13. How much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of organizations (e.g., NGO, school, community group, etc.)? (question D13)
(n=4072)
3.7
Project Resources
Most Volunteers who reported using small project assistance (SPA) grants, the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), Peace Corps Resource Center materials, or HIV/AIDS funding rated the resource as effective (moderately to very effective), as summarized below: Of the 1,761 Volunteers with SPA grants, 88 percent felt they were moderately to very effective. Of the 1,585 Volunteers with the Partnership Program, 83 percent felt it was similarly effective. Of the 3,046 Volunteers who used Peace Corps Resource Center materials, 75 percent reported that the materials were moderately to very effective. Of the 1,039 Volunteers with HIV/AIDS funding, 79 percent rated the resource as moderately to very effective.
As shown in Figure 18, SPA grants and the Partnership Program resources were given the highest possible effectiveness rating by more than half of the Volunteers using those resources. While almost half (45 percent) of Volunteers using HIV/AID funds rated that resource as very effective, less than one-third of Volunteers using the Resource Center materials rated these as very effective in supporting their Volunteer activities.
33
Very effective
27
31
51 45
62
Figure 18. Evaluation of resources by Volunteers who used the resource to support their Volunteer activities. (question D15)
(SPA Grants n=1761; PC Partnership Program n=1585; Resource Center Materials n=3046; HIV/AIDS Funding n=1039)
Moderately effective
8
32 34
43
Minimally effective
4 5 4
12 14
SPA Grants
22
PC Partnership Prog Resource Center HIV/AIDS Funds
Not effective
10
20
30
Percent
40
50
60
70
Figure 19 compares the responses of all Volunteer responses about these resources, including Volunteers who were either unaware of the resource or had not used the resource and Volunteers who reported that these resources were not applicable. Of the four resources, Resource Center materials had the highest percentage (73 percent) of Volunteers evaluating the effectiveness of that resource based on their use of Resource Center materials, with only 27 percent noting that they had not used Resource Center materials.
26 23
Very effective
11
19
Moderately effective 5 Less effective

5
11 12
8
31
Figure 19. Feedback about resources that could potentially support your Volunteer activities. (question D15)
41 44
6 18
Aware but not used 6 7 10
15
25
Unaware of resources
SPA Grants 29 PC Partnership Prog Resource Center HIV/AIDS Funds 21
Not applicable
8 5
0 10
11
(SPA (Small Project Assistance) Grants n=4167; PC Partnership Program n=4163; Resource Center Materials n=4184; HIV/AIDS Funding n=4184 ) (Less effective = Minimally Effective + Not Effective)
20 Percent
30
40
50
Three-quarters of the respondents (75 percent) did not evaluate the effectiveness of the HIV/AIDS funds because they had either not used the resource, were not aware of the resource or felt it was not applicable to their situation. A high percentage of Volunteers have not used SPA grants (41 percent) and 34
the Partnership Program (44 percent), despite being aware of these resources. As shown in Figure 18, however, the Volunteers who have used these two resources rate them as very effective in supporting their work.
Third-Goal Activities
A new question in the 2006 PCV survey asked about Volunteers efforts to achieve the Peace Corps third goal (i.e., to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans). In response to Question D14, Volunteers reported their participation in the following types of third-goal activities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Peace Corps Week activities Sending electronic updates, stories, and/or photos to educate groups of Americans Sending paper (hard copy) updates, stories, and/or photos to educate groups of Americans Speaking at schools or other community groups while on home leave Other (please specify)
Most of the survey respondents (3,759 of 4,482; or 84 percent) answered that they had participated in one or more of the four activities listed above. Of these 3,759 Volunteers involved in third-goal activities, almost all (91 percent) confirmed that they had sent electronic updates, stories, and/or photos to educate groups of Americans (Figure 20). Figure 20. Have you participated in any of the following activities to help accomplish the third goal (to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans) during your Peace Corps service? (n=3759) (question D14)
Electronic updates, stories, photos Paper updates, stories, photos Speak at schools/community groups on home leave Peace Corps Week activities Other
0
91 56 15 11 7
20 40 60 Percent 80 100
More than half (56 percent) of the 3,769 third-goal activity participants have also sent paper updates, stories, and/or photos to educate groups of Americans. While most of the third-goal activity participants involved in two or more of activities reported that they sent either electronic or hard copy updates, stories, and/or photos, at least 15 percent have spoken at schools or community groups while on home leave and another 11 percent have been involved in Peace Corps Week activities. Another 7 percent indicated some other type of third-goal activity. Most of these respondents wrote that they were involved either with the Coverdell World Wise Schools program that connects them to classrooms in the United States to share their experiences, or with some type of pen-pal program between host country nationals and Americans. Other Volunteers wrote that they help to better Americans understanding of host country people by hosting in-country visits of family, friends, or other visitors from the United States. Other creative third-goal activities include hosting a Peace Corps theme party while on home leave to share host country experiences and information about the Volunteers assignment, and sending podcasts back home to teach Americans about daily life in the host country.
35
VII. Life in the Peace Corps

Most Volunteers (72 percent) describe their sites as rural villages or towns excluding outer islands (Figure 21). Sixty percent do not live with a host country individual or family. A higher percentage of the business sector Volunteers live in either cities (31 percent) or country capitals (5 percent) than Volunteers working in other sectors.
Village/Rural area
(pop. under 2,000)
34%
City
(pop. over 25,000)
Figure 21. Description of Assigned Site (n=4408) (question E1)

4%: Country Capital
Rural town
(pop. 2,000 + to 25,000)
22%
37%
3%: Outer Island
Adequate housing was available immediately to 72 percent of Volunteers when they arrived on site, and to another 19 percent of the Volunteers within three months. Figure 23 shows that most Volunteers (81 percent) feel their living allowance meets their basic needs adequately to very well.
Very well Well Adequately Poorly Not at all

0
17 23 41 17 2
10 20
Percent
Figure 22. How well does your living allowance meet your basic needs? (n=4414) (question E8)
30
40
50
36
Preparation of Host Country Colleagues and Work Site

Volunteers were asked how prepared their host country colleagues and their actual work site were when they arrived at site. As shown in Figure 23, almost three-quarters of Volunteers (72 percent) said that the host people with whom the Volunteers work were at least adequately or better prepared upon their arrival. Volunteers were even more positive (78 percent) in rating how well-prepared the site was upon their arrival.
16 16 22 25 34 37 22 18 7 4
0 10 20 Percent 30 40
Host People Prepared Site Prepared
Figure 23. How prepared for your arrival were the host people with whom you work? (n=4413) (question E4) How well prepared was your site upon your arrival? (n=4399) (question E5)
Two indicators of Volunteers adapting to life in their host country is their sense of integration into the community and proficiency in the local language, as shown in Figure 24.

0
29 18 33 27 29 37 8 16 1 1
10 20 Percent
Figure 24. How integrated into your community do you feel? (n=4414) (questions E6) How well can you communicate in the language used by most local people? (n=4408) (questions E7)
E6 Integration E7 Local language

30 40
37
Amenities at Residence and Work Site

The 2006 Volunteer survey asked respondents for the first time about a wider range of amenities at both their residence and work site. The surveys expanded list of amenities included access to a mobile/cellphone. Most Volunteers responded that they always have access to a mobile/cellphone both at their residence (56 percent) and work site (47 percent). As shown in Tables 14 and 15, more Volunteers always have access to a cellphone than those who always have access to electricity (35 percent) at their residences and work sites.
Amenities at Residence Electricity Running water Landline telephone Short-wave radio Mobile/cellphone Computer for personal use E-mail Internet access
(n=4414) (n=4405) (n=4397) (n=4386) (n=4407) (n=4397) (n=4404) (n=4391)
Always 35% 27% 21% 29% 56% 33% 11% 10%
Usually 40% 35% 9% 7% 15% 8% 9% 9%
Sometimes 6% 12% 4% 7% 6% 7% 7% 7%
Never 18% 26% 66% 57% 23% 52% 74% 74%
Table 14. How often do you have the following at your residence? (question E9)
Highlighting indicates highest percent response in each category blue for Always or Usually responses and yellow for Never responses.
Amenities at Work Site Electricity Running water Landline telephone Short-wave radio Mobile/cellphone Computer for personal use E-mail Internet access
(n=4351) (n=4340) (n=4325) (n=4298) (n=4325) (n=4341) (n=4340) (n=4339)
Always 35% 29% 38% 13% 47% 29% 12% 12%
Usually 38% 29% 17% 7% 14% 17% 13% 13%
Sometimes 10% 14% 9% 7% 8% 20% 15% 15%
Never 17% 28% 36% 74% 31% 34% 60% 60%
Table 15. How often do you have the following at your work site? (question E9)
Highlighting indicates highest percent response in each category blue for Always or Usually responses and yellow for Never responses.
A majority of Volunteers never have access at home and work to either a short-wave radio or the Internet. Almost three-quarters (74 percent) of the respondents never have access to either e-mail or the Internet at their residences, and 60 percent never have access to either e-mail or Internet at their work sites.
38
More Volunteers have at least some access to a landline telephone at their work sites, with 55 percent usually or always having access to a landline telephone, compared to the two-thirds (66 percent) who never have access to a landline telephone at their residences. More will be discussed about Volunteers preferred methods of communication in the next section.
Communications
More than half of the Volunteers (60 percent) rated the effectiveness of their communication resources for contacting in-country staff as good to excellent (Figure 25).
Excellent Good Adequate Poor Very poor 0 3 10 20

Percent
29 32 29 7
Figure 25. In general, how do you rate the effectiveness of your communication resources for contacting your incountry staff? (n=4311)
40
30
(question E11)
With most Volunteers usually or always having access to a mobile/cellphone, it is not surprising that Volunteers rank it as the most effective way to communicate with in-country staff (Figure 26). Of the 4,318 respondents who ranked their top three most effective ways to communicate, e-mail was ranked the second most effective way to communicate with Peace Corps in-country staff (44 percent). The third choice for communicating with in-country staff was in-person visits. Figure 26: From the list below, choose the three most effective ways that you communicate with Peace Corps in-country staff. Of these three choices, rank which one is the most effective by marking 1, which is the second most effective 2, and which is the third most effective 3.
(n=4318)
56
Mobile/cellphone
7
16 15
E-mail
22
44 14 15 13 6 10 31 6 7 6 Most effective Second most effective Third most effective
Telephone at residence or work In-person visits Telephone at place other than site 0
10
20
Percent
30
40
50
60
(question E12) 39
Figure 27 shows that of the 3,603 respondents who rated their cellphone service, only 21 percent usually or always had trouble due to poor reception. Many more (63 percent) sometimes had reception trouble.
Figure 27.
Sometimes, 63% Usually, 15%
If you have a cell or mobile phone, how often do you experience trouble using it due to poor reception? (n=3603)
(question E10)
Never, 16% Always, 6%
Correspondence Match/Coverdell World Wise Schools

Less than one-third (n=1,288) of 4,415 respondents said that they participate in the Coverdell World Wise Schools program, Correspondence Match. Most (87 percent) participants said that they would recommend the program to other Volunteers. Of the 170 respondents who participated in the program but would not recommend it to others, most (70 percent) said that they never or infrequently heard from the teacher. In response to the reasons listed in Table 16, the Peace Corps may consider ways to promote a timely response from teachers and to shorten the match time.
Table 16. Reasons Never or infrequently heard from teacher Took too long to get a match Other Cost of mailing was a financial burden Not a very interesting project Correspondence took too much time away from other projects Percentage 70% 39% 14% 13% 8% 2%
Reasons Volunteers would not recommend Correspondence Match (n=170)
(question E14b)
40
Masters International Program

Less than 3 percent (n=116) of all respondents answered questions about fulfilling the Masters International (MI) program requirements. As shown in Figure 28, most MI program participants (80 percent) feel that their Peace Corps assignments adequately to exceptionally fulfill their program requirements. Fewer MI participants (64 percent) rated the Peace Corps staff support as adequate or better at helping them fulfill their MI requirements. This suggests that better communication may be needed to ensure that both the MI program participants and post staff share the same expectations about the post support for the MI program participants.
20 8 23 30 33 14 19 7 17 0 10
Percent G15a Activities G15b Post
Exceptionally Considerably Adequately Minimally Not at all
30
Figure 28. Do your Peace Corps primary and secondary assignments fulfill your Masters International requirements? (n=115) (question G15a) Does the Peace Corps staff at post provide support to help you fulfill your Masters International requirements? (n=116) (question G15b)
20
30
40
41
VIII. Volunteer Safety and Security

Volunteers were asked about their perceptions of safety in their living, working, and traveling situations. They were also asked about the frequency with which they experienced various types of harassments and possible crimes. The following figures and tables provide the frequency of their responses to each question. Most Volunteer respondents (88 percent) feel that they have been adequately to very well informed about in-country events that might affect their safety (Figure 29). There was no significant difference between Volunteers who have served for one year or less and those who have served longer than one year regarding their perceptions of how well informed they are about possible safety issues.
Very well informed Well informed Adequately informed Poorly informed Not at all informed 0 1 10 11
17 34 36
Figure 29. How informed do you feel about events in your host country that might affect your safety? (n=4354) (question F1)
20
Percent
30
40
50
Threats to Volunteer Safety

Most Volunteers feel usually to very safe where they live and work. Table 17 shows that most Volunteers felt usually to very safe where they lived (88 percent) and worked (92 percent). As indicated by yellow shading, fewer Volunteers reported feeling usually to very safe when traveling in their host country (59 percent) and in the city (53 percent) where the main Peace Corps office was located.
42
Table 17. How safe do you feel? Situation Where you live Where you work When you travel in-country City of main PC office
(n=4401) (n=4389) (n=4397)
Very Safe 59% 69% 17%
Usually Safe 29% 23% 42%
Adequately Safe 10% 7% 31%
Often Unsafe 2% 1% 9%
Not At All Safe <1% <1% 1%
How safe do you feel in the following situations?
(question F2)
Yellow highlighting indicates the highest percentages of Volunteers reporting feeling unsafe.
(n=4396)
17%
36%
34%
11%
1%
Table 18 focuses on Volunteers experiences with various safety threats while traveling. Volunteers reported that they frequently (combination of often and always) experienced a threat to their safety in these situations: Transportation conditions, such as vehicles, drivers, and roads (39 percent) Harassment by strangers (27 percent) Police stops (6 percent)
Has your safety been threatened when traveling? Situation Transportation conditions
Police stops Theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (assault or threat of assault) Lodging conditions Harassment by strangers Harassment by persons you know
(n=4390) (n=4334)
Never 16% 69% 60%
Occasionally 45% 25% 36%
Often 18% 4% 3%
Usually 12% 1% 1%
Always 9% 1% <1%
Table 18. When traveling in your host country has your safety ever been threatened by any of the following? (question F3)
Yellow highlighting indicates the highest percentages of Volunteers reporting feeling unsafe.
(n=4350)
(n=4331)
90% 72% 27% 89%
9% 24% 46% 9%
1% 2% 13% 1%
<1% 1% 7% 1%
<1% <1% 7% <1%
(n=4316) (n=4388) (n=4363)
43
The survey defined harassment as any persistent unwelcome behavior from others that may affect the Volunteers safety and security as determined by the Volunteer, with no detailed definitions of specific types of harassment. As reported in Table 19, more than half of the respondents had not experienced any type of harassment or other minor incidents during the past year in their host country.
Frequency Situation
Petty theft (under $25, no contact with thief) Motorized vehicle injury Anti-American harassment* Racial harassment* Religious harassment* Sexual harassment*
(n=4396) Every Few Months
Never
Yearly
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
68%
23%
8%
1%
<1%
<1%
(n=4392)
96% 58%
3% 16%
<1% 17%
<1% 5%
<1% 3%
<1% 1%
Table 19. In the last year, how often have you personally experienced any of the following in your host country? (question F4)
(n=4387)
(n=4387)
68%
5%
8%
5%
7%
7%
(n=4393)
85% 54%
4% 6%
6% 12%
3% 8%
2% 12%
1% 9%
(n=4398)
* Harassment is defined in the survey as any persistent unwelcome behavior from others that you believe may affect your safety and security as determined by the targeted person. Specific types of harassment (e.g., anti-American, racial, sexual, etc.) were subject to the respondents interpretation.
Generally, harassment is something that Volunteers experience infrequently. The exceptions are some Volunteers more frequent (daily, weekly or monthly) experiences with racial harassment (19 percent) and sexual harassment (28 percent). Asked whether the sexual harassment was primarily physical or verbal, almost all (94 percent) of the 1,967 respondents reported that the sexual harassment they had experienced at least once during the past 12 months was verbal (question F5): Verbal:..94 percent Physical:.6 percent
Sexual harassment is experienced at a much higher rate by women, as shown by the yellow shading in Table 20.
44
Frequency
Every Few Months
Gender
Male
(n=1764)
Never
Yearly
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
Table 20. Frequency of Sexual Harassment by Gender (question F4)

Yellow highlighting indicates higher percentages of sexual harassment.
88%
2%
4%
2%
2%
1%
Female
(n=2568)
30%
9%
17%
11%
18%
15%
Crimes Against Volunteers

The 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer survey included additional categories of serious crimes against Volunteers, in order to be consistent with the revised definitions used in the Peace Corps Crime Incident Reporting Form (CIRF). In addition to the previous surveys categories of serious theft, simple physical assault, aggravated assault, sexual assault (other than rape) and rape, the 2006 survey differentiated between serious theft that occurs without any contact with the thief and robbery that occurs when a Volunteer is confronted by the robber(s). In keeping with the Peace Corps crime reporting definitions, the survey asked Volunteers about two types of robbery: (1) robbery involving theft with threat of assault but no injury to the Volunteer; and (2) robbery involving theft and assault with injury to the Volunteer/victim. The survey asked each Volunteer if he or she experienced any of these crimes in the Volunteers host country in the past year, how many times the Volunteer had been a victim of that crime, whether the Volunteer reported it the first, second, third or more times, the reasons for not reporting the crime, and who the Volunteer believed was responsible for the crime. Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of the 4,403 respondents to question F6 answered that in the past year they had no experience with serious crime in their host country. The figure and tables that follow provide details about the other 38 percent of the Volunteers who experienced some type(s) of crime. Although some Volunteers reported being the victim of more than one type of crime, most (76 percent) experienced only one type of crime. As shown in Figure 30, the most frequent crime against Volunteer respondents was serious theft (defined as the theft of an item(s) valued at $25 or more without any contact with the thief). After the 25 percent who experienced serious theft, 8 percent of the respondents were victims of simple assault, followed by 7 percent who were victims of sexual assault (other than rape). Only 1 percent of respondents reported that they had been the victim of either aggravated assault or robbery (with injury). Less than one-half of one percent reported the crime of rape.
45
Serious theft Simple assault Sexual assault Robbery & no injury Aggravated assault Robbery & injury Rape
0
1 1 <1 6 8 7
25
Figure 30. Percentage of Volunteers who have personally experienced any of the following crimes in the last year? (n=4405)
10 20 Percent 30 40
(question F6)
Seventy-five percent or more of Volunteer respondents reported that, during the past year in their host country, they did not experience any of the serious crimes listed in Table 21. Of those who experienced serious crime, most were a victim of that crime only once. Serious theft was the one exception in which more than 1 percent of Volunteers experienced multiple thefts: 5 percent of all respondents reported two serious thefts and 2 percent of all respondents reported three serious thefts.
Crime
Serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (personal contact, no injury) Robbery (personal contact and injury) Simple assault (no weapon/injury) Aggravated assault (weapon/serious injury) Sexual assault (other than rape) Rape
(n=4405)
Did Not Experience
1 time
2 times
3 times
4+ times
75% 94% 99% 92% 99% 93% <100%
18% 5% 1% 6% 1% 4% <1%
5% <1% <1% 1% <1% 1% ---
2% <1% --<1% <1% <1% <1%
1% <1% --<1% <1% 1% <1%
(n=4398) (n=4396) (n=4389)
Table 21. In the past 12 months, have you personally experienced any of the following in your host country? If so, how many times? (question F6) Percents for each type of crime may not total to 100 due to rounding to the nearest whole number.
(n=4393)
(n=4389) (n=4388)
Calculation of the Percentages for Figure 31 and Tables 2225: For the following four tables, the percentages within each column total more than 100 because they represent responses to mark all that apply questions. The percentage is calculated from the number of Volunteers who picked that response divided by the number of respondents who answered the question. For example, if four respondents out of 10 Volunteers who answered the question choose one type of response, the percentage for that response will be 40 (4 divided by 10). If the same four respondents also select a second response (following the questions instructions to mark as many as apply) and three more of the 10 Volunteers answering that question also select that response, the percent for this second item will be 70 (7 divided 46
by 10). In this example, even with only two possible responses, the sum of the two percents (40 + 70 = 110) will be more than 100. As shown in Figure 31, most of the crime-specific responses indicated that first experiences with most crimes were reported, except for victims of simple assault and sexual assault. More than half of the simple assault and sexual assault responses indicated that victims never reported their experience(s) with that crime. Table 22 provides more detailed information on Volunteers responses about how often they reported these crimes.
79 71 67 65 53
Aggravated assault Robbery & injury Robbery & no injury Serious theft Rape Simple assault Sexual assault Reported 1st time Never reported 0 10
13 24 31 29 47 44 39 20 30 40
Percent
Figure 31. Percentage of responses to Reported First Time and Never Reported items of Volunteers who experienced any of the following crimes in the last year. (See Table 24 for number of responses)
51 54
50
60
70
80
(question F6)
Crime
Serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (personal contact, no injury) Robbery (personal contact and injury) Simple assault (no weapon/injury) Aggravated assault (weapon/serious injury) Sexual assault (other than rape) Rape
(n=1082)
Reported 1st time
Reported 2nd time
Reported 3rd time
Reported 4th + time
Never Reported
65%
11%
3%
1%
29%
(n=261)
67%
6%
2%
<1%
31%
Table 22. If you experienced any of the following, please indicate whether you reported the crime each time. (question F6)
(n=41)
71%
5%
0%
0%
24%
(n=331)
44%
6%
2%
2%
51%
Percentages within each row may not add up to 100 because respondents may select all that apply. Yellow highlighting indicates highest percentage of responses for each type of crime.
(n=62)
79%
5%
2%
2%
13%
(n=308)
39% 53%
7% ---
2% ---
3% ---
54% 47%
(n=15)
47
When Volunteer respondents were asked to whom they reported the crime, more than half indicated that they reported the crime(s) to the safety and security staff (Table 23). The one exception was rape victims who primarily reported the crime to their Peace Corps medical officer (PCMO) and, to a lesser extent, to their country director and safety and security staff. It is important to note that many Volunteer victims indicated that they reported their crime experience(s) to more than one type of authority.
Crime
Serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (personal contact, no injury) Robbery (personal contact and injury) Simple assault (no weapon/injury) Aggravated assault (weapon/ serious injury) Sexual assault (other than rape) Rape
(n=778)
PC Medical Officer (PCMO)
Country Director
Safety and Security Staff
Other PC Staff
Local Authorities
Other
13%
20%
76%
40%
42%
12%
Table 23. If you reported the crime, please indicate to whom you reported the crime. (question F7)
(n=179)
25%
32%
84%
40%
41%
8%
(n=31)
45%
26%
77%
55%
32%
13%
(n=159)
31%
20%
69%
37%
22%
14%
Percentages within each row may not add up to 100 because respondents may select all that apply (see text for a detailed explanation). Yellow highlighting indicates highest percentage of responses for each type of crime.
(n=47)
45%
49%
81%
53%
45%
11%
(n=137)
34%
17%
54%
33%
12%
24%
(n=8)
75%
50%
38%
13%
38%
25%
Table 24 shows that in most instances crimes against Volunteers were committed by strangers, except in the case of rape. Friends/social acquaintances and strangers were primarily responsible for committing the rapes. More than one-quarter of the sexual assault responses indicated that a friend or social acquaintance was the perpetrator.
48
Crime
Serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (personal contact, no injury) Robbery (personal contact and injury) Simple assault (no weapon/ injury) Aggravated assault (weapon/ serious injury) Sexual assault (other than rape) Rape
(n=1020)
Stranger
Friend or Social Acquaintance
PC Staff
Other PCVs
Host Country Family
Host Country Counter -part
Other
75%
14%
1%
2%
8%
2%
8%
Table 24. If you experienced any of these crimes, please indicate who was responsible: (question F9)
(n=233)
89%
6%
1%
3%
1%
2%
0%
(n=32)
88%
6%
---
---
---
---
6%
(n=306)
88%
7%
<1%
1%
2%
1%
6%
(n=55)
85%
5%
2%
---
2%
---
7%
(n=288)
67%
26%
1%
1%
4%
6%
9%
(n=15)
40%
53%
---
---
13%
---
13%
Table 25 presents the reasons Volunteers chose to describe why they did not report one or more experiences with each type of crime. The 2006 PCV survey included two new reasons for not reporting: concerned reporting would result in disciplinary action against myself and concerned it might hurt my relationship with the community (paraphrased in the table below). As shown by the highest percentages of responses (highlighted in yellow), the reason given most frequently for not reporting serious theft, robbery (no injury), simple assault, and sexual assault (other than rape) was that these crimes were too minor or common to report. Although other reasons were most frequently given for the other crimes, it is important to note that very few respondents provided reasons for not reporting the crimes of robbery (with injury) (n=9), aggravated assault (n=11) and rape (n=9).
49
Crime
Serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (personal contact, no injury) Robbery (personal contact and injury) Simple assault (no weapon/injury) Aggravated assault (weapon/ serious injury) Sexual assault (other than rape) Rape
(n=451)
Did not think the PC could help
Might result in changing sites
Too minor or common to report
Potential for breach of confidentiality
Possible disciplinary action against me
Might hurt my relationship with the community
Table 25.
53%
4%
62%
2%
5%
12%
If you did not report the crime, answer why not for each type of crime you experienced. (question F8)
(n=90)
38%
12%
58%
8%
12%
4%
(n=9)
44%
---
11%
22%
56%
---
(n=184)
38%
5%
68%
5%
7%
10%
(n=11)
55%
18%
36%
---
9%
18%
(n=199)
40% 11%
9% 22%
68% 33%
8% 44%
7% 22%
14% 33%
(n=9)
50
IX. Peace Corps Staff Support

Volunteers were asked about the support they receive from Peace Corps staff and host country staff at post. Support also includes support received from other Volunteers, measured through proximity to other Volunteers and frequency of visits. Volunteers also provided feedback on the visits they received from their country director, program staff members, Peace Corps medical officers (PCMOs), and safety and security staff. Figure 32 shows that most Volunteers are very satisfied with their in-country healthcare, with 72 percent answering that they are considerably or exceptionally satisfied.
Exceptionally Considerably Adequately Minimally Not at all 0 1 10 20

Percent
40 32 20 6
Figure 32. How satisfied are you with the healthcare that you receive in-country? (n=4351) (question G1)
30
40
50
Family or Personal Emergency

Figure 33 presents the responses of Volunteers who were asked about the support and assistance they either have received or might expect from the Peace Corps in the event of a personal emergency. More than half (61 percent) of the 791 respondents who had experienced an emergency reported that they had received considerable to exceptional Peace Corps support. The expectations of Volunteers who had not yet experienced an emergency were even higher69 percent expected better than moderate support).
51
Exceptional Considerable Moderate Minimal Not at all

0
31 22 30 47 16 25 15 6 8 1
10 20 Percent 30 40 50 G2a Received support G2b Expected support
Figure 33. If you experienced a family or personal emergency since you started as a PCV, how much support and assistance did you receive from the PC? (n=791) (question G2a) If you have not experienced a family or personal emergency, how much support and assistance do you think you would receive from the PC? (n=3461) (question G2b)
Proximity of Volunteers to Peace Corps Support

Volunteers were also asked to provide feedback on their proximity to other Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps offices. Figure 34 shows that a majority of Volunteers (61 percent) prefer to live near other Volunteers. More Volunteers expressed no preference than the 12 percent who said they preferred not to live near other PCVs.
No: 12% Yes: 61%
Figure 34. Do you prefer to have other PCVs living near you? (n=4390) (question G4) Figure percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and do not total 100 due to rounding.
No Preference: 28%
Most Volunteers (75 percent) see other PCVs on a weekly-to-monthly basis (Table 26), and more than half (56 percent) reported that the Volunteer nearest to them was within 20 kilometers (see Figure 35 below).
52
Responses Daily Several times a week Weekly Every two weeks Monthly Less than once a month
Percent 5% 9% 24% 27% 24% 11%
Table 26. How often do you see other Volunteers (not including your spouse or site mates)? (question G3)
05 km 610 km 1120 km 2130 km Over 30 km 0 10 20 15 15 18
23
Figure 35. How far is the closest PCV to you, other than your spouse or site mates? (n=4389)
29 30
Percent
(question G5)
40 50
Most respondents (82 percent) can reach the nearest other Peace Corps Volunteer in less than two hours (Table 27). More than half of the respondents can also reach both the main Peace Corps office and a Peace Corps-approved healthcare provider within six hours by their usual means of transportation. Of those PCVs with a secondary Peace Corps office in-country (excluding the 76 percent who reported no secondary PC office in-country), most (70 percent) can reach their secondary Peace Corps office within six hours.
53
Less than 2 Hrs Nearest Volunteer(s)?

(n=4394)
26 Hrs 16%
710 Hrs 1%
1118 Hrs <1%
1924 Hrs <1%
25 or More Hours <1%
N/A <1%
82%
Table 27. How many hours does it take you, by your usual means of travel, to reach-(question G6)
Main PC office in-country? Secondary PC office in-country? PC-approved healthcare provider?
(n=4385)
15%
41%
20%
14%
4%
6%
0%
(n=4273)
7%
10%
4%
2%
1%
1%
76%
Blue highlighting indicates the two highest percentages of responses for each destination.
(n=4362)
43%
37%
8%
5%
1%
1%
4%
Support Received from Peace Corps Staff

Most Volunteers are very satisfied (considerably or completely) with in-country Peace Corps staff support, especially in terms of medical staff and safety and security staff (Figure 36). Volunteers were less enthusiastic about the in-country technical and project feedback support, with only 35 percent of the Volunteers responding that they were very satisfied with the in-country support in these two areas.
Medical Safety & security Administrative Site selection Job assignment Emotional Language learning Technical support Project feedback 0 10 20 30 35 35 40 50 60 49 47 45 42 42 63
70
Figure 36. Since swearing-in, how satisfied are you with the following support provided by the Peace Corps staff in your host country? (n=4202) (question G7)
70 80 90 100
Percent Responding "Considerably" or "Completely"
A substantial number of respondents (26 percent to 40 percent) reported considerable to tremendous support from their host country supervisors, sponsors, or counterparts across the six topics listed in Figure 37. Fewer respondents (11 percent to 18 percent) said that they received no support from host country supervisors, sponsors, or counterparts. 54
Language help Safety & security Logistical help Project feedback Emotional support Technical assistance
40 39 34 29 29 26
Figure 37. How much support do you receive from host country supervisors, sponsors, or counterparts in the following areas? (n=4237) (question G8)
10
20
30
40
50
Percent Responding "Considerable" or "Tremendous"
Emotional Stressors
Volunteers responses to the question: To what extent are the following problematic to you in creating stress/emotional health issues? are presented in Figure 38, with the least problematic emotional stressor at the top of figure. As shown in Figure 37, Volunteers reported that issues of safety and security and their relationships with other Peace Corps Volunteers as well as with Peace Corps staff were not problematic/stress-inducing for most respondents. The topic which almost one-quarter of Volunteer respondents (24 percent) rated as considerably to exceptionally problematic was their primary assignment. Other aspects of their service that were noted as more problematic were cultural issues (18 percent) and relationships with host country nationals (15 percent).
55
Figure 38. To what extent are the following problematic to you in creating stress/emotional health issues? (n=4371) (question G9)
Less stressful (in green) = Not at all + Minimally (Problematic) More stressful (In yellow) = Considerably + Exceptionally (Problematic)
Safety and security Relationships with PCVs Relationships with PC staff Health problems Home (U.S.) issues Isolation/loneliness Relationships with HCNs Cultural issues Primary assignment
0% 10% 61 57 51 46 20% 30% 72 71
82 82 80 19 18 23 28 31 30 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
13 12 12
5 6 8 9 11 16 15
18 24 90% 100%
Less Stressful
Moderately Stressful
More Stressful
When question G9 responses were further analyzed by length of service (i.e., comparing Volunteers with more than one year of service to those with one year or less), only a few non-statistically significant differences between these two groups emerged. As shown by the stress ratings highlighted in yellow in Table 28, Volunteers in service more than one year rated relationships with Peace Corps staff and safety and security as slightly more stressful (average rating = 1.9). Volunteers at post one year or less rated isolation/loneliness slightly higher (2.4) than Volunteers with longer service (2.3).
56
Rating by Time in Service Stressors

Primary assignment Cultural issues Relationships with HCNs Isolation/loneliness Home (U.S.) issues Health problems Relationships with PC staff Safety and security Relationships with PCVs
(n=4368) (n=4366) (n=4375) (n=4374) (n=4372) (n=4369) (n=4370) (n=4372) (n=4377)
Overall Rating 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.8
One year or less 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.1 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.8
Table 28. To what extent are the following problematic to you in creating stress/ emotional health issues? (question G9)
(Rating scale: 1=Not at all 2= Minimally 3=Moderately 4=Considerably 5=Exceptionally)
Note: Higher scores indicate more stressful issues and where there are differences, the higher stress rating is highlighted in yellow.
Visits from In-Country Peace Corps Staff

A majority of Volunteers (60 percent) have been visited at least twice by a program staff Member (Figure 39). Forty-three percent reported receiving one or more visits from the safety and security (S&S) coordinator, and about one-third have received at least one visit from both the country director (CD) and the Peace Corps medical officer (PCMO).
58
Country director 8 Program staff PC medical officer S&S coordinator

No Visits 1 Visit 2+ Visits 0 10
11
32
32 60 50 16 29
30 40 50 60 70
34 57
Figure 39. How many times have the following Peace Corps staff visited you since you were sworn in? (n=4388) (question G10)
14
20
Percent
Survey respondents indicated that program staff members visited Volunteers most frequently, as shown in Table 29, regardless of the length of service. Of those who have served more than one year, only 4 57
percent had not been visited by a program staff member. Volunteers in service more than a year were more likely to have been visited by their CD, PCMO, and safety and security coordinator than Volunteers in service one year or less. More than half (55 percent) of these longer-serving Volunteers also received one or more visits from the PCMO.
Number of Visits Peace Corps Staff

Country director
(n=1911) (n=2389) (n=1990) (n=2389) (n=1989) (n=2387) (n=1990) (n=2388)
Service < 1 year > 1 year < 1 year > 1 year < 1 year > 1 year < 1 year > 1 year
0 67% 51% 12% 4% 57% 45% 62% 53%
1 27% 35% 48% 19% 34% 34% 28% 30%
2 4% 10% 27% 32% 6% 14% 7% 11%
3 1% 3% 8% 21% 1% 4% 2% 4%
4 0% 1% 2% 11% 0% 1% 0% 1%
5 0% 0% 1% 5% 0% 0% 0% 0%
5+ 1% 1% 2% 8% 1% 2% 1% 1%
Table 29. How many times have the Peace Corps Staff visited you since you were sworn in? (question G10) Yellow highlighting indicates the highest two percentages of responses.
Program staff member Peace Corps medical officer (PCMO) Safety and security coordinator
The majority of Volunteer respondents rated visits from their country directors, program staff member(s), PCMOs and safety and security coordinators as adequate as shown by the yellow highlighting in Table 30. This table lists the percentages of Volunteers who rated Peace Corps visits as more than adequate, adequate or less than adequate in the following four areas: Frequency of visits Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Responsiveness to your issues
Most Volunteers rated the frequency of visits as adequate or better, even though they do not receive many visits from the country director, PCMO, or safety and security coordinator as shown in Figure 38. As well, at least one-third or more of the respondents rated both their comfort level discussing issues and the Peace Corps staffs responsiveness to your (Volunteers) issues as more than adequate. Almost half of those visited by their PCMO rated both their comfort level discussing issues and the PCMOs responsiveness to your issues as more than adequate (47 percent and 45 percent, respectively).
58
More than adequate From the Country Director (question G11) Frequency of visits Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Responsiveness to your issues
(n=1880) (n=1866) (n=1869) (n=1861)
Adequate 73% 63% 47% 51%
Inadequate 12% 20% 16% 15%
15% 17% 37% 34%
Table 30. How would you rate the visits from the following Peace Corps staff with respect to the following? (questions G11 G14) Blue highlighting indicates the rating (Adequate) that most Volunteers selected for each topic.
From the Program Staff Member (question G12) Frequency of visits Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Responsiveness to your issues
(n=4046) (n=4039) (n=4038) (n=4036)
15% 20% 38% 33%
71% 62% 51% 50%
13% 18% 11% 17%
From the Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) (question G13) Frequency of visits Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Responsiveness to your issues
(n=2226) (n=2218) (n=2216) (n=2213)
15% 28% 47% 45%
76% 64% 47% 48%
9% 8% 6% 7%
From the Safety and Security Coordinator (question G14) Frequency of visits Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Responsiveness to your issues
(n=1949) (n=1946) (n=1946) (n=1937)
15% 23% 34% 34%
75% 64% 57% 55%
10% 13% 8% 11%
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X. Volunteers Working in HIV/AIDS

When asked to select what best describes their involvement in HIV/AIDS activities, more than half (2,104 of 3,850) of all respondents reported that they are involved in HIV/AIDS-related activities as part of their Peace Corps service (Figure 40). This represents a substantial increase of Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS activities compared to the prior survey responses, reflecting the increased efforts by the Peace Corps to respond to the AIDS pandemic. This section reports on Volunteers responses about their preparation for this work, useful resources, their sources for information and advice, collaborative organizations, help needed to further their work, and self-perceived effectiveness of their HIV/AIDS activities.
Part of primary assignment Part of secondary activities Other HIV/AIDS efforts No HIV/AIDS efforts 0 10
12 22 21 45 20
Percent
Figure 40. Which best describes your involvement in HIV/AIDS activities?

HIV/AIDS work is my primary assignment. HIV/AIDS work is part of my secondary activities. I have been involved in HIV/AIDS efforts but not as part of my primary or secondary activities. I have not been involved in any HIV/AIDS-related activities. (n=3850)
30
40
50
(question I1) Figure 41 shows the percentages of Volunteers within each sector by their level of involvement in HIV/AIDS activities. The responses of Volunteers for whom HIV/AIDS work was part of either their primary assignment or secondary activities are grouped together. The highest percentages of Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS activities as part of either primary or secondary work are in the sectors of health (70 percent) and youth (43 percent). There are also substantial numbers of Volunteers in the other sectors of education (25 percent), business (21 percent), agriculture (19 percent), and environment (17 percent) who are involved in HIV/AIDS activities as part of their primary assignment or secondary work. In addition, about one-quarter (22 percent to 29 percent) of Volunteers in all sectors other than health are involved in HIV/AIDS activities, but not as part of their primary assignment or secondary work.
60
Health Youth Education Business Agriculture Environment

0%
70 43 25 21 19 17 22 23 29 24 23
12 34 51 57 58 54
17
Figure 41. Comparison by sector: Which best describes your involvement in HIV/AIDS activities?
Choices of part of my primary assignment, and part of my secondary activities, are grouped together in this figure. (n=3850)
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% HIV/AIDS part of primary assigment/secondary activities Involved but not primary or secondary activity Not involved in HIV/AIDS activities
(question I1)
Table 31 shows that one-third or more of the Volunteers in every primary assignment are involved in HIV/AIDS-related work. In addition to HIV/AIDS Volunteers (100 percent) and health Volunteers (85 percent), other primary assignments with high percentages of HIV/AIDS-involved Volunteers include math/science teaching (72 percent), youth development (66 percent), teacher training (62 percent), agroforestry (53 percent), and water sanitation (50 percent).
Primary Assignment HIV/AIDS Health Math/science teaching Youth development Teacher training Agroforestry Water sanitation Other teaching Environmental education NGO development Community development English teaching Forestry Business education/advising Agriculture/fish/livestock
Percent of Volunteers Involved in any HIV/AIDS-related Activities 100 85 72 66 62 53 50 47 47 46 44 42 41 40 35
Table 31. Comparison by primary assignment: Percent of Volunteers Involved in any HIV/AIDS efforts (n=3839) (question I1)
More than two-thirds (69 percent) of the respondents reported that their Peace Corps training had prepared them (moderately to substantially) for their HIV/AIDS work (Figure 42). 61
Substantially Considerably Moderately Minimally Not at all 0 7
10 26 34 24
Figure 42. How well has Peace Corps training prepared you to undertake your HIV/AIDS activities? (n=2071) (question I2)
10
20
Percent
30
40
50
The next four figures summarize the results of questions in which respondents were encouraged to select all appropriate choices (mark as many as apply). The percentage reported for each possible choice is calculated from the number of Volunteers who chose that response divided by the number of respondents who answered the question. For example, if all four Volunteers who answered a mark as many as apply question picked the first choice, the percentage reported for that choice would be 100. If the next choice was selected by only two of the four respondents answering the question, that second choice would have a calculated percent of 50. Adding up the percentages for all responses for one of these questions will almost always total more than 100. When asked what resources are useful in HIV/AIDS work (Figure 43), Volunteers most frequently (67 percent) identified the Peace Corps Life Skills Manual. HIV/AIDS funding such as the Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was also selected by one-quarter of respondents. This corresponds with survey results reported earlier (Section VI under Project Resources), which showed that while most Volunteers had not used HIV/AIDS funding, those who had rated it as a moderately to very effective resource.
PC Life Skills Manual Local ministry or NGO materials PC HIV/AIDS Idea Book HIV/AIDS funding (PEPFAR) United Nations AIDS materials Other (miscellaneous) Other int'l organizaton materials
10 9 19 25 25 37
67
Figure 43. What resources have you found useful in your work on HIV/AIDS? (Please mark all that apply) (n=1767) (question I3)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent
62
Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported that they go to fellow Peace Corps Volunteers for more information or advice to do a better job on HIV/AIDS in their community (Figure 44). Other frequently mentioned resource individuals are local experts of other organizations (35 percent), the associate Peace Corps director (APCD) (32 percent), and local counterparts (26 percent). Only 12 percent of respondents identified the Peace Corps medical officer (PCMO) as someone they went to for more information or advice to help them in their HIV/AIDS work.
Fellow PCV Local expert of other organization APCD Local counterpart PCMO Other No resource person available CD
78 35 32 26 12 7 2 2 0 10 20 30 40
Percent
Figure 44. To whom do you go when you need more information or advice in order to do a better job on HIV/AIDS in your community? (Please mark all that apply) (n=2024)
50 60 70 80
(question I4)
As shown in Figure 45, most respondents confirmed that they closely collaborate with both PCVs from another sector(s) (58 percent) and local non-government or community-based organizations (56 percent). About one-fifth (21 percent) of Volunteer respondents also closely collaborate with government ministries in their HIV/AIDS work.
PCV(s) from another sector(s) Local non-gov/community orgs Government ministry Int'l organization working locally Faith-based organizations Other int'l volunteer organization UN organization
58 56 21 7 7 4 4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Figure 45. With whom do you closely collaborate on your HIV/AIDS work? (Please mark all that apply) (n=1821) (question I5)
Percent
When asked what would be helpful to them in their HIV/AIDS work (Figure 46), respondents were enthusiastic about many of the possible choices. Training tools for use in the community, references with HIV/AIDS information, and visits from technical experts were among the most frequently selected responses. Of the seven possible choices, the least frequently selected choice (20 percent) was emotional support and listening to my feelings about HIV/AIDS. 63
Training tools to use in the community Reference with HIV/AIDS information Visits from technical experts Workshops on training skills Workshops advising on difficult issues Workshops on technical issues Emotional support/listening to my feelings 0 10 20 20 30 40 Percent 50 60 37 53 52 51 48
64
Figure 46. What would be helpful to you now in your HIV/AIDS work? (Please mark all that apply) (n=1937) (question I6)
70
As reported in Figure 47, Volunteers involved in HIV/AIDS efforts were also asked about the effectiveness of their specific HIV/AIDS activities in working with host country individuals or groups. Although similar to a question in the 2004 Volunteer survey (i.e., How would you rate your effectiveness in your work on HIV/AIDS?), the question in the 2006 survey was revised to focus on Volunteers perceived effectiveness of their HIV/AIDS efforts in their work with host country individuals/groups. With respondents split between more positive ratings of almost always effective and often effective (39 percent) and the less positive ratings of sometimes effective and seldom effective (40 percent), there were still 22 percent who answered that they dont know how to rate the effectiveness of their HIV/AIDS activities with host country individuals/groups.
Almost always effective Often effective Sometimes effective Seldom effective Don't know 0 10 20
Percent
8 31 35 5 22 30 40 50
Figure 47. In working with host country individuals or groups, how would you rate the effectiveness of your specific HIV/AIDS activities?
(n=1991)
(question I7)
64
Another way of looking at Volunteer respondents perceptions of the effectiveness of their HIV/AIDS work is by comparing the responses of Volunteers at three different levels of HIV/AIDS involvement (Volunteers for whom the work is part of their primary assignment, those involved in HIV/AIDS work as part of secondary activities, and Volunteers who reported HIV/AIDS efforts that are not part of primary or secondary work). The comparison in Figure 48 also reflects simplified effectiveness ratings of more effective and less effective along with the dont know responses for each of the three levels of HIV/AIDS involvement. As shown below, more than half of Volunteers with a primary assignment involving HIV/AIDS work rated their work as more effective and a small minority (10 percent) answered dont know. Less than half (44 percent) of Volunteers with secondary activities involving HIV/AIDS rated their work as more effective, and almost 20 percent answered dont know. Of the Volunteers involved in other (nonprimary, non-secondary) HIV/AIDS efforts, only 26 percent answered that their activities were more effective and 30 percent said didnt know how to rate the effectiveness of their efforts. From this comparison, it appears that the more directly involved Volunteers are in HIV/AIDS activities, the less uncertain they are about the effectiveness of their efforts and the more certain they are that their work is having a positive impact.
51 39 10 44 37 19 26 Other HIV efforts 30 More effective Less effective Don't know 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 44
HIV primary assignment
HIV secondary activities
Figure 48. Perceived effectiveness of HIV/AIDS work for Volunteers who are involved either as part of their primary assignment, their secondary activities or as other efforts (not primary or secondary work). (n=1991)
(More effective= Often + Almost always; Less effective= Sometimes + Seldom)
Percent
(question I7)
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XI. Overall Satisfaction

The information reported in this section confirms Volunteers high levels of satisfaction and commitment with their Peace Corps service. In summary: 92 percent of the 4,386 respondents stated that they intend to complete their service. This includes Volunteers who answered that they intend to complete their Peace Corps service (78 percent) and those who might extend their service (14 percent). (Question H1) 80 percent of 4,351 respondents reported that their host country would benefit most if the Peace Corps program were either maintained at the current level (47 percent) or expanded (33 percent). (Question H5) 74 percent of respondents feel their Peace Corps service is considerably (40 percent) to exceptionally (34 percent) rewarding personally. (Question H4) 85 percent would probably (25 percent) or definitely (60 percent) make the same decision to join the Peace Corps again today. (Question H2) 84 percent responded that they would probably (23 percent) or definitely (61 percent) recommend Peace Corps service to others they thought were qualified. (Question H3) 95 percent of 4,153 respondents reported that they have been personally successful, either moderately (24 percent), considerably (47 percent) or exceptionally (24 percent), with the Peace Corps second goal of helping people from other cultures better understand Americans. (Question H6)
Volunteers perceptions of their Peace Corps service and overall experience tend to change the longer they serve; therefore, the following questions are disaggregated by time in service. Each figure below compares the responses of Volunteers who have served more than one year (>1 year) to Volunteers in service one year or less ( 1 year). As expected, the longer-serving Volunteers provide more positive endorsements of their Peace Corps service. The most notable differences between the two groups follow. More Volunteers (79 percent) in service more than a year said their Peace Corps service was considerably or exceptionally personally rewarding than Volunteers (69 percent) serving one year or less (Figure 50). More Volunteers (76 percent) in service more than a year said they have considerably or exceptionally helped host country nationals gain a better understanding of the United States and its people than Volunteers (66 percent) serving one year or less.
66
Yes
79 77 16 12 4 10 2 2 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Might extend
Not sure
Figure 49. Do you intend to complete your Peace Corps service?

> 1 year (n=2393) 1 year (n=1983)
(question H1)
No
Percent
Expanded Maintained at current level Reduced 5 5 0 10 20

Percent
32 34 47 47 16 14 > 1 year (n=2372) 1 year (n=1969)
Figure 50. Would your host country benefit the most if the Peace Corps were? (question H5)
Discontinued
30
40
50
Exceptionally Considerably Moderately Minimally Not at all 0 <1 1 10 20

Percent
40 28 39 41 17 23 4 8 > 1 year (n=2389) 1 year (n=1982)
Figure 51. How personally rewarding do you find your overall Peace Corps service? (question H4)
30
40
50
67
Definitely Probably Possibly Not likely No 0 1 1 10 20 30

Percent
63 57 22 28 9 11 4 4 > 1 year (n=2387) 1 year (n=1983)
Figure 52. Today, would you still make the same decision to join the Peace Corps? (question H2)
40
50
60
70
Definitely Probably Possibly Not likely No 0 1 1 10 20 30

Percent
63 59 21 25 12 13 3 3 > 1 year (n=2391) 1 year (n=1982)
Figure 53. Would you recommend Peace Corps service to others you think are qualified? (question H3)
40
50
60
70
The sixth and final overall assessment question asked Volunteers about their personal success with the Peace Corps second goal (to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served). Of the 4,153 respondents who rated their second-goal impact, almost all (3,941 or 95 percent) reported that they have either moderately (24 percent), considerably (47 percent), or exceptionally (24 percent) helped host country nationals to better understand Americans. About 5 percent (n=197) reported that they had minimally helped facilitate a better understanding of Americans; another 231 Volunteers answered that it was too soon to tell. As shown in the figure below and noted earlier, Volunteers in service a year or less are not as positive about the extent to which they have helped host country nationals better understand the United States and its people than the longer-serving Volunteers. More than three-fourths (76 percent) of Volunteer respondents who have been in-country more than a year have considerably or exceptionally helped host country nationals better understand the United States and its people.
68
Exceptionally Considerably Moderately Minimally Not at all 0 <1 <1 10 4 6
29 19 47 47 20 28 > 1 year (n=2353) 1 year (n=1790)
Figure 54. To what extent do you think you have helped host-country nationals gain a better understanding of the United States and its people? (question H6)
20
Percent
30
40
50
69
XII. Volunteer Recommendations and Comments

The 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer survey concluded with three optional, open-ended questions to elicit respondents opinions and feedback. There was also an optional open-ended question at the end of the section on HIV/AIDS activities. More than three-quarters of respondents answered one or more of these four questions. All of the Volunteers comments were entered into a database, and country-specific reports of all comments were prepared for the regional directors. Two post-specific reports were generated for each country postone with comments that could be shared with the post and another with comments from Volunteers who asked that their comments not be given to Peace Corps staff in their host country. The first open-ended question was posed to Volunteers who completed the HIV/AIDS section: If you have any comments on Peace Corps HIV/AIDS work at your post that you would like to share with headquarters, please do so below. (n=375) At the top of the surveys last page, Volunteers were asked: May your comments below be given to the Peace Corps staff in your host country? before the final three questions: 1. How can the Peace Corps better address the needs of your host country? Please indicate information on additional needs here. (n=2783) 2. What have you done to demonstrate that you have taken responsibility for the success of your Peace Corps service? (n=2665) 3. If you have additional comments or concerns you would like to share, please do so on the lines provided below. Please take this opportunity to compliment or recommend improvements for staff and management at your post. (n=2005) An analysis of these open-ended questions is presented in a separate report.
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Appendix: 2006 Peace Corps Volunteer Survey Instrument
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March 31, 2006 Dear Peace Corps Volunteer: We are continually working to improve our efforts to better meet the needs and expectations of both Volunteers and their host countries, but we need your help. This is your chance to tell us what you really think about your training, work, and overseas living experiences so far, and to influence operations at post and headquarters in the future. In the past, the anonymous responses from Volunteers such as yourself have been extremely useful. Country Directors report that suggestions made by Volunteers are helpful in planning for the future and often lead to specific changes in policies and procedures. In country, the survey responses provide support for revising training, justifying budget needs, and adjusting living allowances. Your feedback is used at headquarters to inform all aspects of the Peace Corps experience, from policy changes to informing Congress. Your thoughts and opinions are invaluable for the successful operation of the Peace Corps. We conduct this survey every two years to: 1) Ensure that we stay informed about trends in Volunteer safety, support, training, and living conditions so that we may respond to these trends appropriately; 2) Focus on special areas of interest this year we are again asking a special set of questions of Volunteers about their HIV/AIDS work. Please take approximately 45 minutes to complete the anonymous questionnaire that follows, including the open-ended questions on the last page. It is important that you complete the entire survey so that we can get as accurate a picture as possible of your opinions in all areas of your service. When you are done: To protect your anonymity, seal your completed survey in the envelope you received with your survey. Return it immediately to your Peace Corps office at post.
Please turn in your completed questionnaire to your Peace Corps office at post before Monday, June 12, 2006.
Once we complete our analysis of the survey data, a summary of the worldwide responses will be sent to the Director, Regional Directors and Country Directors. The 2006 PCV Survey Global Report will also be posted on the Peace Corps Intranet. The collection of this information is authorized by the provisions of the Peace Corps Act (22 USC 2501 et seq.). Providing this information is voluntary. Thank you for your continuing service as a Volunteer. Sincerely,
Gaddi Vasquez Director, Peace Corps
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
2006 Peace Corps Volunteer Survey

Please read through the directions before beginning. 1) Please fill out this survey only if you are a Volunteer. If you are a Trainee, and will not be sworn in by March 31, 2006, DO NOT fill out this survey and return the blank survey to your post. 2) This survey is also available in a web-based format. If you prefer to complete this survey online, please contact your Country Director or PCVsurvey@peacecorps.gov for instructions. If you already completed the web-based version, please do not complete this paper version. 3) Please answer the open-ended questions in Section K. Your comments will be reviewed by staff at headquarters, but will not be shown to Peace Corps staff at your post unless you mark Yes on the last page. All comments marked "Yes," will be photocopied and shared with regional staff at headquarters, who may then share them with staff at your post. 4) Return your completed survey sealed in the envelope you received with your survey to your host country Peace Corps main office as soon as possible and before June 12, 2006. Marking Instructions: Use only the No. 2 pencil provided (DO NOT use pen). Make solid marks that fill the response oval completely. Mark only one response oval for each question unless directions say, Please mark all that apply. Make NO stray marks on this form. Please write any comments on the last page or on a separate page using a pen.
INCORRECT MARKS CORRECT MARK
Marking example:
A. Your background
Your responses to these questions will help us analyze other survey questions. The term primary assignment throughout the survey refers to the program, project, or assignment area on which you spend most of your time. 1. Which of the following best describes your current primary assignment? (Please mark only one.) Agriculture/Fish/Livestock Health Agroforestry Community development Forestry NGO development Environmental education Youth development Water-sanitation Business education/advising HIV/AIDS (if marked, please be sure to complete the HIV/AIDS questions on Page 14.) English teaching Math/Science teaching Teacher training Other teaching Other
2. As part of your project/sector assignment, which of the following initiatives does your work also include? (Please mark all that apply.) Girls education Micro-enterprise Information technology Rural development Child survival Working with NGO(s) Household food security Working with youth WID/GAD Income generation HIV/AIDS (if marked, please be sure to complete the HIV/AIDS questions on Page 14.) Environment work Bio-diversity conservation Urban development Business advising English teaching Nutrition education Other
3. How many months have you been in your current host country, including PST (Pre-Service Training)? Fewer than 3 3 to 6 7 to 12 13 to 18 19 to 27 More than 27
4. How many years* of foreign language education or professional experience requiring foreign language(s) fluency did you have in the ten years prior to your Peace Corps training? *(Count an academic year as 1 year.) None Fewer than 1 1 to 2 2+ to 4 4+ to 6 More than 6
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B. Preparation for the Peace Corps

Your responses will help us better prepare Volunteers for their service. 1. How useful was the information on the Peace Corps website in preparing you as an applicant for the realities of living and working as a Peace Corps Volunteer? Not at all useful Minimally useful Moderately useful Very useful Extremely useful Dont know (did not access information)
2. During the application process, how useful were the materials about your country (e.g., country welcome book) in helping you prepare for your experience? Not at all useful Minimally useful Moderately useful Very useful Extremely useful Dont know (did not get information)
3. During the application process, how useful were the materials you received from the Peace Corps about your primary assignment (e.g., Volunteer Assignment Description) in helping you prepare for your experience? Not at all useful Minimally useful Moderately useful Very useful Extremely useful Dont know (did not access information)
C. Training for your Peace Corps assignment

You may have been asked similar questions by in-country staff. Your responses here will help staff at headquarters assess and enhance the effectiveness of your training and monitor change. 1. Which of the following best describes your Pre-Service Training (PST)? (Please mark only one.) Community-based Training: decentralized within multiple communities; trainees live with families during training; incorporates trainee-directed learning activities Center-based Training: centralized around a training facility; trainees live in or near training center; incorporates instructor-directed activities Mixed Training: essentially center-based training but incorporates field-based or self-directed learning activities; trainees stay with a family and return to training center at end of field component 2. Please evaluate your Pre-Service Training (PST) in preparing you to
NA/No Not at all Training Effective Poor Adequate Effective Very Effective
Was training on this topic:

Too The Right Too Short? Length? Long?
a) manage cultural differences in working and living with a diversity of people. b) deal with adjustment issues (e.g., loneliness, frustration, eating concerns, etc.). c) improve working relationships with couterparts. d) use language needed in work and social interactions. e) perform technical aspects of your work. f) work with project goals and objectives. g) use PACA training. h) monitor project goals and outcomes. i) maintain your physical health. j) maintain your mental/emotional health. k) maintain your personal safety and security.
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3. Please evaluate your In-Service Training (IST) in helping you to

NA/No Not at all Training Effective Poor Adequate Effective Very Effective
Was training on this topic:

Too The Right Too Short? Length? Long?
a) manage cultural differences in working and living with a diversity of people. b) deal with adjustment issues (e.g., loneliness, frustration, eating concerns, etc.). c) improve working relationships with couterparts. d) use language needed in work and social interactions. e) perform technical aspects of your work. f) work with project goals and objectives. g) use PACA training. h) monitor project goals and outcomes. i) maintain your physical health. j) maintain your mental/emotional health. k) maintain your personal safety and security. 4. Overall, how well did the Peace Corps prepare you, both physically and mentally, to meet the challenges of Peace Corps service? Not at all Minimally Adequately Considerably Exceptionally
D. Your Peace Corps assignment

Your answers will tell us about your Peace Corps work. 1. How many hours do you spend on your primary assignment during an average work week? If your work is not continuous throughout the year, estimate based on your busiest times of the year. None 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 More than 40
2. In addition to your primary assignment, are you engaged in secondary activities (other initiatives in your community)? Yes No (Please skip to Question 5.)
3. How many hours do you spend on secondary activities during an average work week? None 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 More than 40
4. Which of the following work do your secondary activities include? (Please mark all that apply.) Girls education Micro-enterprise Information technology Rural development Child survival Working with NGO(s) Household food security Working with youth WID/GAD Income generation HIV/AIDS (if marked, please be sure to complete the HIV/AIDS questions on Page 14.) 5. To what extent is the work you do personally rewarding or satisfying? Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Exceptionally Environment work Bio-diversity conservation Urban development Business advising English teaching Nutrition education Other
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6. How much does the success of the Peace Corps experience depend on a Volunteers personal commitment and initiative? Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Exceptionally 7. To what extent are your skills, interests, and experiences utilized by your primary assignment? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
8. Please give us your feedback about the following technical skills in relation to your work.
Is the skill needed for your work in the Peace Corps?
Yes No
Did you have the skill before joining the Peace Corps?
Yes No
Have you had adequate Peace Corps training to acquire the skill?
Yes No
a) Assignment-specific skills (e.g., classroom management, animal husbandry) b) Assessing community needs c) Organizing/implementing community activities d) Building capacity of local organizations e) Monitoring and reporting project work f) Designing and implementing training sessions 9. Your primary assignment to a project/sector (e.g., education, health, and environment) is part of an overall plan designed by your host country partners and in-country Peace Corps staff. How clear to you are the following aspects of your primary assignment to a project/sector (e.g., education, health, environment)?
Not at All Clear Somewhat Clear Moderately Clear Mostly Clear Very Clear NA
a) b) c) d) e)
Your project/sector goals and objectives Your responsibilities or duties Your project/sector activities Your sponsoring agencys responsibilities Your APCD/Program Managers responsibilities
10. To what extent do you think your work in your primary assignment to a project/sector (e.g., education, health, environment) does the following?
Not at All Minimally Adequately Considerably Exceptionally NA
a) Meets the objectives of your project/sector b) Builds local capacity for sustainability c) Includes local people in planning and implementing activities d) Complements other local development activities e) Is supported by in-country staff and resources
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Another way to look at the effectiveness of your primary assignment is to consider the capacities (knowledge, skills, and activities) that you have helped to build or develop at each of these three levels: a) host-country counterparts b) other individuals such as students, farmers, villagers, and entrepreneurs c) organizations
11. In your opinion, how much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of your host-country counterparts (e.g., teachers, health workers, community leaders, NGO personnel, etc.) through your primary assignment? Your Impact on Capacities of Counterparts
Not at All Minimal Moderate Considerable Exceptional NA
a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i)
12. In your opinion, how much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of host-country individuals, other than your counterparts, (e.g., students, farmers, villagers, etc.) through your primary assignment? Your Impact on Capacities of Host-country Individuals You Work With (other than counterparts)
a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i)
Problem solving Self-esteem Technical skills Accessing information (e.g., library, Internet) Planning and Management Identifying resources Leadership Use of local resources Better understanding of Americans
13. In your opinion, how much of an impact have you had on the following capacities of organizations (e.g., NGO, school, community group) you work with through your primary assignment? Your Impact on Capacities of Organizations You Work With
a) b) c) d) e) f) g)
Identifying and prioritizing organizational needs Management and leadership Teamwork and participatory decision-making Monitoring/evaluation Accessing information and resources Planning and implementing organizational activities Better understanding of Americans
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14. Have you participated in any of the following activities to help accomplish the Third Goal (helping Americans gain a better understanding of other people) during your Peace Corps service? (Please mark all that apply.) Peace Corps Week activities Sending electronic updates, stories and/or photos to educate groups of Americans Sending paper (hard copy) updates, stories and/or photos to educate groups of Americans Speaking at schools or other community groups while on home leave Other (Please specify below.)
15. Please give us feedback about the following resources that could potentially support your volunteer activities. (Please mark only one response for each resource.)
NA Unaware Aware But of Resource Not Used Not Effective Minimally Effective Moderately Effective Very Effective
a) Small Project Assistance (SPA) money b) Peace Corps Partnership Program (includes money from family and friends) c) Resource Center materials d) HIV/AIDS Funding (e.g., PEPFAR, VAST) e) Other (Please specify below.)
E. Your life in the Peace Corps

These questions help us monitor and compare Volunteer living conditions. 1. Please choose the best description of your assigned site. (If you live in the capital, mark only that choice.) Capital of the country City (pop. over 25,000) Rural town (pop. 2,000 + to 25,000) Village/rural area (pop. under 2,000) Outer island (regardless of size)
2. Do you live with a host-country individual or family (this includes living in a familys compound)? 3. How soon after you arrived at your site as a Volunteer was adequate housing available? Not yet available Immediately Within 3 months Within 6 months Within 1 year
Yes
No
Over a year
4. When you arrived at your site, how prepared for your arrival were the host people with whom you work? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
5. How well prepared was your site upon your arrival? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
6. How integrated into your community do you feel? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
7. How well can you communicate in the language used by most local people? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
8. How well does your living allowance meet your basic needs? Not at all Poorly Adequately Well Very well
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9. How often do you have the following . . .
. . . at your residence?
Never Sometimes Usually Always
. . . at your work site?

Never Sometimes Usually Always
a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)
Electricity Running water A landline telephone A short-wave radio Mobile/cell phone A computer for project use Email The Internet
10. If you have a cell or mobile phone, how often do you experience trouble using it due to poor reception? NA, no cell/mobile phone Never Sometimes Usually Always
11. In general, how do you rate the effectiveness of your communication resources (for examples, see list in Question 12 below) for contacting your in-country staff? Very poor Poor Adequate Good Excellent
12. From the list below, choose the THREE most effective ways that you use to communicate with Peace Corps in-country staff. Of these three choices, rank which one is most effective by marking 1, which is second most effective by marking 2, and which is the third most effective by marking 3.
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3
Telephone at residence or work Telephone at place other than site Mobile/cell phone Fax Cable/Telegram
1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
Email CB radio Letters In-person visits Other (please specify):
13. Do you participate in a Correspondence Match (a World Wise Schools program)? Yes (Please answer Question 14.) No (Please skip to Section F.)
14. Would you recommend a Correspondence Match to other Peace Corps Volunteers? No (Please answer below.) Yes (Please skip to Section F.)
If No, why not? (Please mark all that apply.) Never or infrequently hear from teacher Correspondence took too much time away from other projects Took too long to get a match Not a very interesting project Cost of mailing was a financial burden Other
F. Your safety and security

These questions will help us track and improve your safety. 1. How informed do you feel about events in your host country that might affect your safety? Not at all informed Poorly informed Adequately informed
Not At All Safe
Well informed
Often Unsafe Adequately Safe
Very well informed

Usually Safe Very Safe
2. How safe do you feel (Please mark one response for each location.) a) b) c) d) where you live? where you work? when you travel in country? in the city where the main Peace Corps office is located?
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For the following questions, harassment is defined as any persistent unwelcome behavior from others that you believe may affect your safety and security. The targeted person determines whether or not she/he is being harassed. 3. When traveling in your host country, how often has your safety been threatened by any of the following? (Please mark one response for each item.)
Never Occasionally Often Usually Always
NA
a) b) c) d) e) f) g)
Transportation conditions (vehicles/drivers/roads) Police stops Petty or serious theft (no contact with thief) Robbery (with assault or threat of assault) Lodging conditions when traveling Harassment by strangers when traveling Harassment by persons you know when traveling
4. In the last 12 months, how often have you personally experienced any of the following in your host country? (Please mark one response for each item.)
Never Yearly Every Few Months Monthly Weekly Daily
a) b) c) d) e) f)
Petty theft (under $25, no contact with thief) Motorized vehicle injury Anti-American harassment Racial harassment Religious harassment Sexual harassment
5. If you experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months (as noted in item 4f above), what type of harassment was it most often? Physical Verbal
For the remaining questions in this section, please remember that these surveys are sealed and anonymous. Your answers will greatly help the Peace Corps improve the training, support, and services it provides as they affect your safety and security. 6. In the last 12 months, have you personally experienced any of the following in your host country? If you have, please mark both the number of times this occurred to you and whether you reported the crime(s) each time. If you have never experienced any of the crimes below, mark DID NOT EXPERIENCE for each and skip to Section G.
NUMBER OF TIMES EXPERIENCED: DID NOT EXPERIENCE 1 2 3 4+ I REPORTED THIS TO SOMEONE: (Please mark all that apply.) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th + Never time time time time
Serious theft ($25 or more, no contact with thief) Robbery (theft and threat of assault, no injury) Robbery (theft and assault, with injury) Simple physical assault (assault without a weapon or serious injury) Aggravated assault (assault with a weapon or serious injury) Sexual assault other than rape Rape
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7. If you reported the crime(s), please mark to whom you reported the crime(s). Please answer only for the crime(s) you experienced in your host country in the last 12 months. If you did not report the crime, skip to Question 8. If you did not experience ANY of the crimes, skip to Section G. If you DID report the crime(s), to whom did you report? (Please mark all that apply.)
PCMO Country Director Safety and Security Coordinator Other Peace Corps Staff Local Authorities Other
a) Serious theft ($25 or more, no contact with thief) b) Robbery (theft and threat of assault, no injury) c) Robbery (theft and assault, with injury) d) Simple physical assault (assault without a weapon or serious injury) e) Aggravated assault (assault with a weapon or serious injury) f) Sexual assault other than rape g) Rape* *If you answered Other in 7g, please specify here:
8. If you did not report the crime(s), answer why not for each type of crime you experienced. Please answer only for the crime(s) you experienced in your host country in the last 12 months. If you did not experience ANY of these crimes, skip to Section G. If you DID NOT report the crime(s), please mark why not. (Please mark all that apply.)
Did not think the Peace Corps could help. Believed it could Too minor Concerned about result in or common a breach in changing sites. to report. confidentiality. Concerned reporting Concerned it would result in might hurt my disciplinary action relationship with against myself. the community.
a) Serious theft ($25 or more, no contact with thief) b) Robbery (theft and threat of assault, no injury) c) Robbery (theft and assault, with injury) d) Simple physical assault (assault without a weapon or serious injury) e) Aggravated assault (assault with a weapon or serious injury) f) Sexual assault other than rape g) Rape
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9. Please mark who was responsible for the crime(s) you experienced (as noted in Question 6 on Page 9). Answer only for the crime(s) you experienced in your host country in the last 12 months. Please mark Not Applicable (NA) for particular crime(s) you did not experience. (Please mark all that apply.) If you did not experience ANY of the crimes, please skip to Section G.
Stranger Friend/ Peace Corps Social Staff Aquaintance Other PCV Host Country Family Host Country Counterpart Other NA
a) Serious theft ($25 or more, no contact with thief) b) Robbery (theft and threat of assault, no injury) c) Robbery (theft and assault, with injury) d) Simple physical assault (assault without a weapon or serious injury) e) Aggravated assault (assault with a weapon or serious injury) f) Sexual assault other than rape g) Rape
G. Peace Corps support

Your responses will help us determine the support you need and how we can improve our efforts. 1. How satisfied are you with the health care you receive from your Peace Corps Medical Officers (PCMOs) in-country? Not at all Minimally Adequately Considerably Exceptionally Not used Not available
2. Have you experienced a family or personal emergency since you started as a PCV? Yes No
a. If Yes, how much support and assistance did you recieve from Peace Corps? None at all Minimal Moderate Considerable Exceptional
b. If No, how much support and assistance do you think you would receive from Peace Corps if you were to have a family or personal emergency? None at all Minimal Moderate Considerable Exceptional
3. How often do you see other PCVs (not including spouse or site mates, if applicable)? Daily Several times a week Weekly Every 2 weeks Yes Monthly No Less than once a month No preference
4. Do you prefer to have other PCVs living near you?
5. How far is the closest PCV to you, other than your spouse or site mates? (Please estimate.) 0-5 km 6-10 km 11-20 km 21-30 km
Less Than 2 to 6 2 Hours Hours 7 to 10 Hours
Over 30 km
11 to 18 19 to 24 Hours Hours 25 or More Hours NA
6. How many hours does it take you, by your usual means of travel, to reach a) b) c) d) the nearest PCV(s)? the main Peace Corps office in country? a secondary Peace Corps office in country (if any)? a Peace Corps-approved health care provider?
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7. Since swearing in, how satisfied are you with the following support provided by Peace Corps staff in your host country? (Please mark one response for each item.)
Not at All Minimally Adequately Considerably Completely NA
a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i)
Language learning Administrative Medical Emotional Safety and security Feedback on projects Technical support Site selection Job assignment
8. How much support do you receive from host country supervisors, sponsors, or counterparts in the following areas? (Please mark one response for each item.)
None Minimal Some Considerable Tremendous NA
a) b) c) d) e) f)
Technical assistance Logistical help Safety and security advice Language help Emotional support Feedback on projects
9. To what extent are the following problematic to you in creating stress/emotional health issues? (Please mark one response for each item.) Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Exceptionally a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Primary assignment Health/medical problems Isolation/loneliness Relationships with Peace Corps staff Relationships with host country nationals Relationships with other Volunteers Safety and security Home (U.S.) issue (e.g., significant others, family problems, etc.) i) Cultural issues
10. How many times have the following Peace Corps Staff visited you since you were sworn in?
0 1 2 3 4 5 5+
a) b) c) d)
Country Director (CD) Program Staff Member Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) Safety and Security Coordinator
11. How would you rate the visits from the CD with respect to the following? (If you answered 0 in 10a, please skip to the next question.)
Inadequate Adequate More than Adequate
a) b) c) d)
Frequency Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues CDs responsiveness to your issues
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12. How would you rate the visits from the Program Staff Member with respect to the following? (If you answered 0 in 10b, please skip to the next question.)
a) b) c) d)
Frequency Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Program Staff Members responsiveness to your issues
13. How would you rate the visits from the PCMO with respect to the following? (If you answered 0 in 10c, please skip to the next question.)
Inadequate Adequate
More than Adequate
a) b) c) d)
Frequency Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues PCMOs responsiveness to your issues
14. How would you rate the visits from the Safety and Security Coordinator with respect to the following? (If you answered 0 in 10d, please skip to the next section.)
a) b) c) d)
Frequency Informative content Your comfort level discussing issues Safety and Security Coordinators responsiveness to your issues
15. Answer the following only if you are a Masters International (MI) program student. If you are not one, skip to the next section. Not At All Minimally Adequately Considerably Exceptionally a) Do your Peace Corps primary and secondary assignments fulfill your MI requirements? b) Does the Peace Corps staff at post provide support to help you fulfill your MI requirements?
H. Your overall assessment

1. Do you intend to complete your Peace Corps service? No Not sure Yes 2. Today, would you still make the same decision to join the Peace Corps? No Not likely Possibly Probably Definitely
Might extend
3. Would you recommend Peace Corps service to others you think are qualified? No Not likely Possibly Probably Definitely
4. How personally rewarding do you find your overall Peace Corps service? Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Exceptionally
5. Would your host country benefit the most if the Peace Corps program were ? Discontinued Reduced Maintained at current level Expanded
6. To what extent do you think you have helped host-country nationals gain a better understanding of the United States and its people? Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Exceptionally Too early to tell
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I. Peace Corps Volunteers working in HIV/AIDS

It is important for Peace Corps to better understand the work of Volunteers in HIV/AIDS. 1. Which of the following best describes your involvement in HIV/AIDS activities? HIV/AIDS work is my primary assignment. HIV/AIDS work is part of secondary activities. I have been involved in HIV/AIDS efforts but not as part of my primary assignment or secondary activities. I have not been involved in any HIV/AIDS related activities (Please skip to Section J). 2. How well has Peace Corps training (PST, IST, host-country sponsored) prepared you to undertake your HIV/AIDS activities? Not at all Minimally Moderately Considerably Substantially NA 3. What resources have you found useful in your work on HIV/AIDS? (Please mark all that apply.) Peace Corps Life Skills Manual Other International organizations materials. Name of Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Idea Book organization(s) (please specify below) HIV/AIDS Funding (e.g., PEPFAR, VAST) Local Ministry or NGO materials UNAIDS materials Other 4. To whom do you go when you need more information or advice in order to do a better job on HIV/AIDS in your community? (Please mark all that apply.) APCD Local expert from another Fellow PCV Other PCMO organization No resource No one CD Local counterpart person available 5. With whom do you closely collaborate on your HIV/AIDS work? (Please mark all that apply.) Government ministry UN organization Local non-government or community-based Other International Volunteer organization organizations PCV(s) from another sector(s) (e.g., Environment, International organization working locally (e.g., Save the Education, Business) Children, CARE) Faith-based organizations Name the group(s): 6. What would be helpful to you now in your HIV/AIDS work? (Please mark all that apply.) Training tools to use in the community Emotional support and listening to my feelings about HIV/AIDS Workshops on training skills and people coping with HIV/AIDS in my community Workshops on specfic skills such as advising References with HIV/AIDS information community members on difficult issues Visits from persons with technical knowledge Workshops on technical issues such as treatment, home care, orphan care Other 7. In working with host country individuals or groups, how would you rate the effectiveness of your specific HIV/AIDS activities? Dont know Seldom effective Sometimes effective Often effective Almost always effective Please explain if needed: 8. If you have any comments on Peace Corps HIV/AIDS work at your post that you would like to share with headquarters, please do so below.
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J. Other information about you

This information tells us how different groups answer survey questions and shows us if any group is not well represented. Your answers are confidential and will not be cross-referenced with your responses to other questions when reported to your post. 1. Age:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4. Marital status at time of joining the Peace Corps: Single, never married Married/serving with spouse Married/serving without spouse Divorced Widowed
5. Highest educational level completed to date: (Please mark only one.) High school diploma or equivalent Technical school graduate Community College/Associates degree Bachelors degree Masters degree Doctoral degree Other
2. Sex:
Female
Male
3. Race or Ethnicity: (Please mark only one.) African American Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Caucasian (not of Hispanic origin) Hispanic or Latino Native American Two or more races/more than one of the above 6. Since this survey was available in both paper and a web-based format, please choose the best answer regarding your situation from the choices below. Given Internet access in my host country . . . (Please mark only one.) A paper version was the only realistic way for me to complete this survey. I could have also completed this survey online, but the paper version was more accessible. I would have preferred completing this survey online if it had been offered.
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K. Your recommendations
Please use a DARK INK PEN for this section. Host country: May your comments below be given to the Peace Corps staff in your host country? Yes No
1. How can the Peace Corps better address the needs of your host country? Please include information on additional needs here, such as support, resources, training, etc., if applicable.
2. What have you done to demonstrate that you have taken responsibility for the success of your Peace Corps service?
3. If you have additional comments or concerns you would like to share, please do so on the lines provided below. Please take this opportunity to compliment or recommend improvements for staff and management at your post.
Thank you for completing this survey! Please seal it in the envelope and return it immediately to your Peace Corps office at post.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
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R23001-PFI-54321
Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters 1111 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20526 800.424.8580 w w w.peacecorps.gov

Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report

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Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report

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Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey Global Report

Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis

Peace Corps 2006 Volunteer Survey

Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis

Peace Corps Volunteer Survey Results: Global Report

Changes from the 2004 PCV Survey

II. Report Highlights

Preparation and Training of Volunteers

Volunteer Safety and Security

Peace Corps Support

Volunteers Working in HIV/AIDS

Overall Satisfaction with Peace Corps Service

III. Profile of Respondents

Comparable Characteristics from the Peace Corps Volunteer Database

Demographic Data of Survey Respondents

Figure 2. Age Groups of Respondents (question J1)

25-34 years: 49%

20-24 years: 40%

4%: 35-44 years 6%: 45-64 years 1%: 65+ years

Figure 3. Race/Ethnicity of Respondents (question J3)

Figure 4. Marital Status of Respondents (question J4)

Figure 5. Education Level of Respondents (question J5)

5-6 years 17%

13-18 months 16%

19-27 months 34%

7-12 months 39%

4%: 28+ months

7%: 3-6 months

Asian American/ Pacific Islander

Caucasian (not of Hispanic origin)

Table 1. Demographics by Race/Ethnicity

81% 10% 2% 4% 3% <1%

<1% <1% <1% 87% 13%

<1% 1% 1% 82% 16% 2% 1% 83% 14% 1% 1% 88% 10%

IV. Preparation for Peace Corps Service

V. Training for Peace Corps Assignment

Communitybased Training: 56%

Mixed Training: 33%

Centerbased Training: 11%

Table 2. Evaluation of preservice training (PST) topics. (question C2)

Figure 12. Evaluation of Pre-Service Training (PST) Topics. (question C2)

Table 3. Evaluation of In-service Training (IST) topics (question C3)

VI. Volunteers Peace Corps Assignment

Business Sector (24%)

Business education/advising Community development NGO development

Health Sector (19%)

Health (including HIV/AIDS) Water sanitation

Agriculture Sector (8%)

Youth Development Sector (7%) Environment Sector (7%)

Youth development Environment education Forestry

30% 28% 25% 25%

Work Activities Environment work Income generation Rural development

Environment work Working with youth Biodiversity conservation

HIV/AIDS Working with youth Nutrition education

English teaching Working with youth Girls education

Working with youth Girls education English teaching

Working with NGO(s) Working with youth Income generation

Hours Worked Per Week

More than 40 3140 2130 1120 110 None 0 1

More than 40 3140 2130 1120 110 0

Primary Assignment (hours)

(n=381) 9% 12% 32% 27% 19% 1% (n=354) 2% 6% 14% 36% 42% 1%

Hours Worked per Week by Sector

Secondary Assignment (hours)2

Sectors were based on the Volunteers primary assignments.

Assignment Match with Volunteers Skills

Very well Well Adequately Poorly Not at all 0 2 10