Survey ID Number
SDN_2020-2021_HFPS_v01_M
Title
High Frequency Phone Survey COVID-19, 2020-2021
Abstract
Sudan, like the rest of the world, has been experiencing the unprecedented social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sudanese authorities attempted to act quickly in the face of the spreading virus. In March 2020 the Government established a high-level emergency committee to oversee the operations to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government imposed closure of schools, airports, ports, and land crossings; banned travel between states; and prohibited mass gatherings. A partial lockdown was imposed in Khartoum State in mid-March 2020. Restrictions on movement are expected to make the economic situation worse, with commodity prices soaring across the country. The rapid spread of COVID-19 in Sudan and the Government’s containment measures could negatively affect household welfare including loss of employment and income, decreased access to basic commodities and services, and food security. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely worsen living conditions, particularly among the poor and vulnerable Sudanese. The objective of the Sudan High Frequency Survey on COVID-19 is to quickly collect household (and firm-level) information, using phones, to monitor the crisis and assess the dynamics of the impacts of COVID-19 on households (and micro, small and medium enterprises [MSMEs]) in Sudan. The survey will help inform dialogue and mitigation measures. The survey is implemented jointly by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the World Bank. As face-to-face surveys were not feasible, the survey was conducted using mobile phones and covers all 18 states of Sudan. The survey monitors the impact of coronavirus on the daily lives of Sudanese who are being interviewed, with a panel of 4027, 2987, 2987, 2659, 2783 and 2179 Households for respectively Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5 and Round 6 in both urban and rural areas from across the 18 states of Sudan. Round 1 of data collection was conducted during June 16–July 5, 2020, about three months after the declaration of the outbreak in Sudan and lockdown. The dates of implementation run from August and September 2020 for Round 2, November 2020 and January 2021 for Round 3, February to April 2021 for Round 4, May to June 2021 for Round 5 and July/August 2021 for Round 6. This sample allows to draw statistically inferences of the Sudanese population at the national and rural/urban levels. The risk of nonresponse was a concern, so efforts were made to minimize this risk, including follow-up with respondents who fail to respond and keeping the interviews short (15–20 minutes) to reduce respondent fatigue. Several questions were asked in Round 1 regarding different topics such as: knowledge of COVID-19 and social behavior, access to goods and services, food security, and jobs. Each round, the households will be asked a set of core questions on the key channels through which individuals and households are expected to be affected by the COVID-19-related restrictions. The questions revolve around the immediate socioeconomic impacts on households, including their labor market situation, non-labor income as well as awareness of the virus and prevention measures undertaken by the household. The household survey covers questions on a range of topics/themes including, but not limited to, health condition, access to health facilities, access to other social services, prices of common food and non-food items (including imported goods), availability of common food and non-food items (including medicines), nutrition and food security, employment/labor, income, assets, coping strategies, remittances, subjective welfare, perceptions on the coronavirus outbreak, and the government’s responses.