Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys

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The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) are household surveys implemented by countries under the programme developed by the United Nations Children's Fund to provide internationally comparable, statistically rigorous data on the situation of children and women. The first round of surveys (MICS1) was carried out in over 60 countries in mainly 1995 and 1996 in response to the World Summit for Children and measurement of the mid-decade progress. A second round (MICS2) in 2000 increased the depth of the survey, allowing monitoring of a larger number of globally agreed indicators. A third round (MICS3) started in 2006 and aimed at producing data measuring progress also toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), A World Fit for Children, and other major relevant international commitments. The fourth round, launched in 2009, aimed at having most data collection conducted in 2010, but in reality most MICS4s were implemented in 2011 and even into 2012 and 2013. This represented a scale-up of frequency of MICS from UNICEF, now offering the survey programme on a three-year cycle. The fifth round, launched in 2012, was aimed at offering countries the tools to do the final MDG data collection.

Contents

In 2016, the sixth round was launched with an effort towards collecting baseline data for the new set of global goals and targets - the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [1] As of mid-2022, a total of more than 350 surveys have been completed in 119 countries and territories.

The MICS is highly comparable to the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the technical teams developing and supporting the surveys are in close collaboration. [2]

Survey tools

At the core of MICS is the list of indicators. In MICS6 this is a compilation of now 200 distinct indicators (237 counting those requiring sex disaggregate). [3] The list is not inclusive of all standard tabulations produced in a full survey, but forms those that are central to global monitoring by UNICEF and others. The list is a central message in MICS, as no question is asked in the questionnaires without directly contributing to an indicator algorithm or a background variable. Thus, survey-specific additional questions are always suggested to follow the same guidelines: No question should be asked without a clear plan for tabulation of results.

Questionnaires

The MICS questionnaires [3] are:

In MICS, the generic questionnaires include all modules, such that implementers only should remove non-applicable or non-desired modules and questions, e.g. the ITN module in non-malarious countries.

The full set of generic modules include:
Household Questionnaire

Individual Questionnaire for Women

Questionnaire for Children Under Five

Individual Questionnaire for Men

Questionnaire for Children Age 5-17

Other tools

The MICS package also includes data entry program (in CSPro) catering for paper-based or tablet-based data collection, standard tabulation plan (in Excel) and syntax (in SPSS), workshop training programmes, in-country capacity building and technical assistance, data dissemination templates, as well as various online resources, such as a survey data compiler (MICS Compiler).

The tools are all compiled on the MICS website, which was launched in a modernized format in March, 2015.

Current status

The 6th round of MICS commenced in October 2016 with the initiation of the Programme's Survey Design Workshops and was scheduled to run to 2021 (this has since been extended to 2022, mainly due to COVID-19 related delays of face-to-face surveys). The content is expanded to cover new priorities, including adjustments to cover approximately half of the survey-based SDG indicators (about 40 of about 80).

The 6th round's tools were piloted in Costa Rica in mid-2016, and was preceded by a field test of new or refined questionnaire modules and tools for data collection and processing in Belize end of 2015. [4] In November 2017 additional questionnaire modules were tested in Malawi. [5] A similar exercise was conducted in Belize in April 2019. [6]

The MICS Programme is participating in the methodological development of new data collection tools, such as on water quality testing, child disability, external economic support, and impact of emergencies. [7] A methodological paper series was launched in 2012. [8]

The programme has been evaluated following rounds 1, [9] 3, [10] and 4. [11]

Funding

The total cost for MICS3 was about $18.6 million (and about $356,000 per country) according to a 2008 MICS evaluation. [12] :7

MICS4 was estimated to cost $31.3 million. [12] :10

Countries

The countries listed below have conducted (or plan to conduct) a MICS survey. Reports and data are available on the MICS website. [13]

MICS1MICS2MICS3MICS4MICS5MICS6MICS7
Flag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan XXSXX
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania XXX
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria XXXXX
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola XX
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina XX
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan XX
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain X
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh XXXXX
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados X
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus XXX
Flag of Belize.svg  Belize XXX
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin XX
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan X
Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia XX
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina XXXS
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana X
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso XX
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi XXX
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon XXX
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic XXXXX
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad XXX
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China X
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros XX
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of Congo XXXX
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo X
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica XX
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Cote d'Ivoire XXXX
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia X
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba XXXXX
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea XXXX
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti X
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic XXX
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt XS
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador X
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea X
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini XXXXX
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia X
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg  Federated States of Micronesia X
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji X
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon X
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia XXXXX
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia XXX
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana XXSXSX
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea XX
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau XXXXXX
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana XXXX
Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras X
Flag of India.svg  India XX
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia XXSS
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran XX
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq XXXXX
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica XXX
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan XXXX
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya SXSSSSSS
Flag of Kiribati.svg  Kiribati X
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo XSXS
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan XXXXX
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos XXXXXX
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon XSSSX
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho XXX
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia X
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya X
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar XXSX
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi XXXX
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives XX
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali XXX
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania XXXX
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico XS
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova XX
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia XXXXSSXSSX
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro XXSXS
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique XX
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar XXX
Flag of Nauru.svg  Nauru X
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal XSXX
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua X
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger XX
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria XXXXXX
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia XXXSXS
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman XX
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan XSSSSSSSSSSS
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine XXXXX
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama XX
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay X
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines XX
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar XX
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda X
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia XX
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa X
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe XXXXX
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal XXS
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia XXSXSXS
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone XXXXX
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia SSXXSSX
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan X
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan XXSXXX
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname XXXX
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria XXSXS
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan XX
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania X
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand XXXSSXX
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo XXXXX
Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga X
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago XXXX
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia XXXX
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey X
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan XXXX
Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg  Turks and Caicos Islands X
Flag of Tuvalu.svg  Tuvalu X
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine XXX
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay X
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan XXX
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu XX
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela X
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Viet Nam XXXXXX
Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen XXX
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia XX
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia XX
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe XXX
TotalMICS1MICS2MICS3MICS4MICS5MICS6MICS7Total
Surveys6365536052763372
Countries6061515039653119
Countries with national surveys5861494335643119

X: National Survey S: Sub-national Survey

Note: Only countries from UNICEF's official list are included. It appears that some surveys are based on the MICS tools, but not included in the list, e.g. Botswana 2007-08 Family Health Survey [14] and Bangladesh 2009 Progotir Pathey (MICS). [15]

The total number of countries having ever conducted a MICS (or plan to do so) is 119. This includes Yugoslavia, which at the time of MICS1 and MICS2 was the territory now split into Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia. In MICS5, five countries were new to the programme: Benin, Congo, El Salvador, Mexico, and Paraguay. In MICS6, eight additional countries have conducted or are planning surveys: The Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Honduras, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos Islands.

Use of survey data

Survey data are widely used, predominantly in multi-country analyses, but also often for simple trend analyses in single countries. An example of use of MICS data is provided by Monasch et al. (2004). [16]

Due to the near perfect comparability between MICS and DHS, much analysis draws on multiple data sets of both programmes. However, each survey programme have modules specific to their mandates and not often used in both programmes. For example, a recent compilation of evidence on child discipline makes use of surveys that included the Child Discipline Module; these were all MICS. [17]

Most global statistics, such as on the indicators of the MDGs rely heavily on data collected through MICS (and other household surveys), particularly for countries where administrative reporting systems are not entirely adequate. Other global statistics rely on only household survey data, such as the Multidimensional Poverty Index developed by OPHI and reported by UNDP.

Examples of recent publications are listed under external links.

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References

  1. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) 1995-2015: Monitoring the Situation of Children and Women for 20 Years
  2. News: MICS partners with the DHS and LSMS survey programs in a collaborative group
  3. 1 2 "Tools - UNICEF MICS".
  4. News: Conclusion of the MICS Field Test in Belize
  5. News: Using MICS to Understand Emergencies
  6. News: Children's time use - developing a new module in Belize
  7. MICS5 Survey Design Workshop standard PowerPoint presentation on "MICS – Past, Present and Future"
  8. "Publications - Methodological - UNICEF MICS".
  9. UNICEF Evaluation database: 1999 Global: Evaluation of UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
  10. UNICEF Evaluation database: 2009 Global: Evaluation of UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys Round 3 (MICS3)
  11. UNICEF Evaluation database: 2014 Global: UNICEF Evaluation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) -- Parts 1 and 2
  12. 1 2 Beth Ann Plowman (August 2014). "UNICEF Evaluation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) - Round 4" (PDF). UNICEF.
  13. "Surveys - UNICEF MICS".
  14. http://www.cso.gov.bw/templates/cso/file/File/bfhs_report.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  15. "Women- - বাংলাদেশ পরিসংখ্যান ব্যুরো-গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার".
  16. Roeland Monasch, Annette Reinisch, Richard W. Steketee, Eline L. Korenromp, David Alnwick, and Yves Bergevin (2004) "Child Coverage with Mosquito Nets and Malaria Treatment from Population-based Surveys in African Countries: A Baseline for Monitoring Progress in Roll Back Malaria" in: The Intolerable Burden of Malaria II: What's New, What's Needed online book, The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
  17. UNICEF, Child Disciplinary Practices at Home: Evidence from a Range of Low- and Middle-Income Countries Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , New York, 2010.

Recent examples of use of MICS data

Household survey programme websites

Regional programmes

Networks