The lack of information on many aspects of poverty in the Soviet Union, and impossibility of on-the-spot investigation, prompted us to launch a survey of the former life-styles of Soviet emigres who were, by measures discussed in Chapter One, poor when they resided in the USSR. Since the results of this work are referred to at several points in the foregoing study, some account of its conduct is apposite here. The sources of funding were named in the preface.

The first interviews were conducted in July 1982, in the form of a pilot study of twenty-five families of former Soviet citizens living mostly in the New York, Chicago and San Francisco areas. The text of the questionnaire was all but finalised in the course of this work, only minor additions being effected later. Systematic interviewing began in the USA in September 1982, and was extended to Israel in January 1983, so as to expedite data collection. It was completed everywhere by the end of May 1984, when the sample comprised 348 families and 442 working members.

All the interviewers, of whom there were nine, were former Soviet citizens known to myself or colleagues. All had considerable experience of such work, and were either involved in other research projects, or had connections with some of the more respectable university departments. The interviewers were paid pro rata for locating families (through friends or personal acquaintances), conducting the interviews, and making additional enquiries. The respondents participated voluntarily, without payment. Assurances of anonymity were given in every case, though interviewers were asked to keep a confidential note of families‘ names and addresses, should clarification of answers be needed. This arrangement worked quite well.