During the implementation of the MICS Plus pilot in Belize, COVID-19 emerged as a threat and restrictions to public life in Belize were imposed, the effects of which are captured in the dashboard below. The pandemic began roughly around the time of the 6th wave of data collection and the effects are clear on a number of indicators.
For example:
- Participation in education dramatically declined at wave 7 and did not recover to pre-pandemic levels. In rural areas, this change was more noticeable.
- Violent discipline saw a delayed uptick, especially so in Belize City South Side.
- Child labour increased slightly overall though in Toledo district, levels continued to increase following the pandemic’s onset.
- Though levels of life satisfaction and happiness pre-pandemic were stable among mothers/caregivers of children, the pandemic saw shocks to overall levels of the two indicators with dips in both after the start of the pandemic. Levels of satisfaction appear to be recovering though happiness remains below pre-pandemic levels.
The survey was conducted as part of the MICS programme’s work to devise new methods to collect population-based data. The survey was implemented in collaboration with UNICEF Belize and the Statistical Institute of Belize. The small-scale pilot used a household survey as a sampling frame for an 11-wave mobile phone follow-up survey. Further details of the methodology are available online and within the dashboard. Specific COVID-19 data are also available.
Additional work will continue to develop this data collection method for use across different countries. National-level MICS Plus surveys are currently being planned in Mongolia and Georgia.