PARTICIPANTS are being held hostage by Government's literacy survey, with many complaining of having to sit with interviewers for more than three hours at a time before the questionnaire is complete.

And many who called the Mid-Ocean News to voice their complaints this week expressed their concern regarding the nature of the questions they were being asked.

"The interviewers were very polite, but it's a random survey. I didn't expect it. And after a long work day, the last thing I wanted to do was sit for three hours while discussing my finances and other information," said one woman. "I really didn't understand how much of it had anything to do with literacy at all."

According to United Bermuda Party MP Michael Dunkley, he heard similar sentiments expressed while out canvassing in his Devonshire constituency. "I can appreciate that we need to do these kinds of surveys but if they think that there are people who have two or three hours at a time to devote to them, I think that's wishful thinking on their part," he said.

"I know in talking with one of the surveyors, she said it was difficult to do more than two in a day. It's a bit ambitious when they're looking for 4,000 as a survey field. I think there needs to be more of a understanding in the community as to what's going on.

"To some extent, I think people are overwhelmed with surveys and telephone polls and so on. They're tired of giving information and not seeing anything done with it to make our lives better."

When contacted yesterday, Government's chief statistician, Valerie Robinson James, agreed that the survey - expected to last through the end of May - demanded a relatively large chunk of time from participants.

"In terms of time, we realise the survey is very long," she said. "The first part can be administered in about 45 minutes; the time required for the second part of the survey depends on how long the respondant takes to complete it.

"What we're actually advising interviewers to do, is to administer it in two parts; complete the first and then reschedule with the respondant for the second. (In doing that) we're hoping to ease the concern people might have with the time required.

"It is a simple, random survey. We have no names or contact numbers. So our initial point of contact is a knock on the door. However, if (participating) is an inconvenience at that time, we tell them we can come back."

The Bermuda Literacy survey is a random poll, currently being conducted through 4,000 households across the island. An international initiative, it's being held in tandem with similar surveys in the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland and other countries.

"We have three main objectives," Mrs. Robinson James said. "Our first is to develop a profile of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving skills in Bermuda's adult population - those between the ages of 16 and 65; secondly, we want to compare and contrast those results with the skills of people in other (participating) countries; thirdly, we want to use the data we collect as a basis for establishing essential programmes to improve literacy in the population in Bermuda."

As an initiative, the survey was run in other countries in 1994, 1995 and 1996 useful results, Mrs. Valerie Robinson James added.

"The studies have shown there is a co-relation between socio-economic levels and literacy levels. One of the questions we ask is pertaining to income; the international surveys show that there is a strong relation in some countries and a moderate one in others, we'd like to see (what it is here).

"We also ask questions about their health and their well-being. Again, it has been proven that these give an insight into the benefits of literacy.

"We have to look at it as an investment. It's never been done before in Bermuda. We really are soliciting the support of the general public. We want to get good data and make a proper assesment and put the right programmes in place."