Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys - Round 4

The fourth round of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) is scheduled for 2009-2011 and survey results are expected to be available from 2010 on.  The need for MICS4 is outlined in an Executive Directive (Ex.Dir.CF/EXD/2009-002)

In response to the increased demand for up-to-date, high quality data with which to monitor the situation of children and women around the world, UNICEF will be providing assistance to countries to carry out MICS surveys at more frequent intervals - every three years instead of every five years – starting with the new round of surveys.

This will provide countries with the opportunity to monitor progress toward national goals and global commitments, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the target year 2015 approaches. MICS will help countries to capture rapid changes in key indicators and expand the evidence-base for policies and programmes. MICS will also continue to address emerging issues and new areas of interest, with validated, standard methodologies in collecting relevant data.

As in previous rounds, the MICS4 questionnaire was developed through consultations with relevant experts from UN organizations, inter-agency monitoring groups and the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Programme. The questionnaire was field tested in a pilot survey carried out in the beginning of 2009. Read more about the pilot survey.

The MICS4 questionnaire and indicator list are available here. The MICS4 manual will be available on this site shortly.

Current and up-coming activities

UNICEF is providing training to carry out surveys through a series of regional workshops.  The theme of the first regional workshop is survey design and the second regional workshop is on data processing. The survey design workshops are being held in the second half of 2009 and data processing workshops are being held in the second half of 2009 and early 2010.