Equity-focused evaluation design worksheet

Check who is not reached and who bears burdens, rather than only averages. Handle characteristic data with ethical and privacy safeguards.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

Equity-focused evaluation design worksheet

Method: Equity-Focused Evaluation

Check who is not reached and who bears burdens, rather than only averages. Handle characteristic data with ethical and privacy safeguards.

Basic information

Record the evaluation subject and equity focus.

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Program evaluated: Consultation support (fictional)
Groups and areas of particular equity interest: People with transport constraints
Evaluation purpose: Decision on providing visit appointments
Prepared by and date: Staff member A / September 2026 (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Focus on barriers to support.

Program evaluated

Groups and areas of particular equity interest

Evaluation purpose

Prepared by and date

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Record the evaluation subject and equity focus.

Focus on barriers to support.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

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Equity issues

Organize questions about reach, use, outcomes and burdens.

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Issue	Groups at risk of being left behind	Question to check	Required data
Access to consultation	People who have difficulty attending	Are some people unable to use the service because attending is difficult?	Eligible counts, use counts and non-user interviews

Reason for this entry: Include perspectives beyond service users.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Issue	Groups at risk of being left behind	Question to check	Required data

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Organize questions about reach, use, outcomes and burdens.

Include perspectives beyond service users.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Disaggregated data plan

Record items to examine by characteristic and protection methods.

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Characteristic or category	Collection method	Purpose of use	Protection and anonymization
Presence of transport constraints	Voluntary questions and support records	Examine reach disparities and alternatives.	Aggregate use only; separate linkage tables; do not publish small groups.

Reason for this entry: Limit the purpose without adding diagnoses or unnecessary identifiers.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Characteristic or category	Collection method	Purpose of use	Protection and anonymization

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Record items to examine by characteristic and protection methods.

Limit the purpose without adding diagnoses or unnecessary identifiers.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Access accommodations

Describe ways to reach groups whose voices are hard to hear.

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Offer telephone and visit options. Use accessible explanations and state that choosing not to participate has no disadvantage.

Reason for this entry: Also lower barriers to study participation.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Describe ways to reach groups whose voices are hard to hear.

Also lower barriers to study participation.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Use the example as a reference and record what you have established about your own program. Distinguish assumptions and unchecked matters from confirmed facts.

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Completion check

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

☑ Checked: A plan examines subgroups as well as averages
☑ Checked: Can explain the purpose and protection of characteristic data
☐ Not checked: Included affected people's and support organizations' perspectives in the design
☑ Checked: A policy ensures equity findings inform recommendations

Reason for this entry: Design review by affected people and support organizations is the next step. Do not treat plans as completed actions.

A plan examines subgroups as well as averages
Can explain the purpose and protection of characteristic data
Included affected people's and support organizations' perspectives in the design
A policy ensures equity findings inform recommendations

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Design review by affected people and support organizations is the next step. Do not treat plans as completed actions.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Read each item and check those you have confirmed. Do not use the fictional example’s checkbox states as findings about your own program.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

Equity-focused evaluation design worksheet is a worksheet for applying Equity-Focused Evaluation in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Planning example, not a universal standard duration: 1–3 days for design. Overall study duration varies with access and accommodations for target groups.” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

When checking whether program effects are unevenly distributed by characteristics or area
When the population includes people in vulnerable positions, such as children, people with disabilities, foreign nationals or low-income groups
When including SDGs, human rights, gender equality or inclusion in evaluation criteria

Participants and preparation

Evaluators, field staff, organizations representing affected people and support organizations, and data managers. Ethics review is desirable when vulnerable groups are included.

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Basic informationRecord the evaluation subject and equity focus.
2. Equity issuesOrganize questions about reach, use, outcomes and burdens.
3. Disaggregated data planRecord items to examine by characteristic and protection methods.
4. Access accommodationsDescribe ways to reach groups whose voices are hard to hear.
5. Completion check

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Equity evaluation matrix
Findings by subgroup
Recommendations to improve inclusion

Cautions for review

Judging outcomes solely from improved averages without examining groups left behind
Creating distrust by not explaining why characteristic data are collected and how they are protected
Treating equity findings as supplementary and excluding them from main conclusions and recommendations

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

A fictional illustrative tabulation with invented counts and characteristics.

Basic information

Program evaluated: Consultation support (fictional)
Groups and areas of particular equity interest: People with transport constraints
Evaluation purpose: Decision on providing visit appointments
Prepared by and date: Staff member A / September 2026 (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Focus on barriers to support.

Equity issues

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Issue	Groups at risk of being left behind	Question to check	Required data
Access to consultation	People who have difficulty attending	Are some people unable to use the service because attending is difficult?	Eligible counts, use counts and non-user interviews

Reason for this entry: Include perspectives beyond service users.

Disaggregated data plan

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Characteristic or category	Collection method	Purpose of use	Protection and anonymization
Presence of transport constraints	Voluntary questions and support records	Examine reach disparities and alternatives.	Aggregate use only; separate linkage tables; do not publish small groups.

Reason for this entry: Limit the purpose without adding diagnoses or unnecessary identifiers.

Access accommodations

Offer telephone and visit options. Use accessible explanations and state that choosing not to participate has no disadvantage.

Reason for this entry: Also lower barriers to study participation.

Completion check

☑ Checked: A plan examines subgroups as well as averages
☑ Checked: Can explain the purpose and protection of characteristic data
☐ Not checked: Included affected people's and support organizations' perspectives in the design
☑ Checked: A policy ensures equity findings inform recommendations

Reason for this entry: Design review by affected people and support organizations is the next step. Do not treat plans as completed actions.

Common errors in judgment

Assuming increased overall use establishes equity

How to revise: Check differences in reach and burdens by group.

Reason: Improving averages and widening disparities can occur simultaneously.

Publishing all detailed characteristics

How to revise: Define necessary aggregation units and disclosure protection.

Reason: Combinations involving small groups can allow individuals to be inferred.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

References and checked sections

Technical Note on the inclusion of hard-to-reach populations and children in evaluations
Sofiya Yuvshanova／UNICEF ECARO · 2025
Section consulted
Executive summary; Table 2: Dimensions of equity-focused evaluations
How it relates to the text
Combine disaggregated data with inclusive participation, considering re-identification of minority groups and participation burdens.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Equity-focused evaluation design worksheet”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/equity-focused-evaluation/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Checked sources for definitions and applicability conditions, and added fictional examples, reasons for judgments and examples for every worksheet field. Revised unverified claims about history and adoption. Also reviewed existing procedures and cautions, and adjusted fixed participant counts and thresholds and generalizations about institutions.