Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan
The proliferation of mobile phones in developing countries has generated a wave of interest in collecting high-frequency socioeconomic surveys using this technology. This paper considers lessons from one such survey effort in a difficult environmen...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17186643/challenges-opportunities-mobile-phone-based-data-collection-evidence-south-sudan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12169 |
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okr-10986-121692021-04-23T14:03:06Z Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan Demombynes, Gabriel Gubbins, Paul Romeo, Alessandro ACCESS TO SERVICES BLOG CALL CENTER CELL PHONE CELLULAR NETWORKS CHANGE CIVIL SOCIETY COLLABORATION COMMODITIES COMMODITY COMMUNICATION SERVICE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE COMPUTERS CONNECTIVITY CONSULTATION CONSUMERS CORRUPTION DATA COLLECTION DATA COMMUNICATIONS DATA ENTRY DATA TRANSFER DECISION MAKING DIAL TONES DIGITAL MONEY DISCUSSIONS ELECTRICITY ELECTRONIC DEVICE ELECTRONIC FORM ELECTRONIC FORMS ELECTRONIC MEDIA ENUMERATORS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE RATE FEASIBILITY FEMALE FIGURES GENDER HOMES HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING ID IDENTITY MODULE IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD INSTALLATION INTERFACE INTERFACES INTERVIEWING INTERVIEWS LITERACY LIVING CONDITIONS LOCAL GOVERNMENT MARKET INFORMATION MARKETING MATERIAL MEDICINE MENU MISSING VALUES MOBILE APPLICATIONS MOBILE DEVICE MOBILE NETWORK MOBILE PHONE MOBILE PHONES MOBILE SERVICE MOBILE TELEPHONY MOBILE TRANSACTIONS MOBILE USER MOBILE USERS NAVIGATION OPEN ACCESS OPINION PACKET RADIO PACKET RADIO SERVICE PARTICIPATION RATES PERCEPTIONS PHONE NUMBERS POSTAL SERVICE POVERTY REDUCTION PROCUREMENT PROTOCOL QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONNAIRES RADIO RECONSTRUCTION RELIABILITY RELIABLE ACCESS RESPONSE RATES RESULT RESULTS RURAL AREAS SAMPLE SELECTION SAMPLE SIZE SERVER SERVICE PROVIDER SERVICE PROVIDERS SOCIOECONOMIC DATA SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEYS SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SURVEY DATA SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY METHODOLOGY SURVEY QUESTIONS SURVEY RESULTS TECHNICAL STANDARD TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TELEVISION TELEVISIONS TIME SERIES TOWNS TRANSMISSION URBAN AREAS URBAN POPULATION USER USERS WEB WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION The proliferation of mobile phones in developing countries has generated a wave of interest in collecting high-frequency socioeconomic surveys using this technology. This paper considers lessons from one such survey effort in a difficult environment -- the South Sudan Experimental Phone Survey, which gathered data on living conditions, access to services, and citizen attitudes via monthly interviews by phones provided to respondents. Non-response, particularly in later rounds of the survey, was a substantial problem, largely due to erratic functioning of the mobile network. However, selection due to non-response does not appear to have markedly affected survey results. Response rates were much higher for respondents who owned their own phones. Both compensation provided to respondents in the form of airtime and the type of phone (solar-charged or traditional) were varied experimentally. The type of phone was uncorrelated with response rates and, contrary to expectation, attrition was slightly higher for those receiving the higher level of compensation. The South Sudan Experimental Phone Survey experience suggests that mobile phones can be a viable means of data collection for some purposes, that calling people on their own phones is preferred to handing out phones, and that careful attention should be given to the potential for selective non-response. 2013-01-28T19:28:16Z 2013-01-28T19:28:16Z 2013-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17186643/challenges-opportunities-mobile-phone-based-data-collection-evidence-south-sudan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12169 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper; No. 6321 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
ACCESS TO SERVICES BLOG CALL CENTER CELL PHONE CELLULAR NETWORKS CHANGE CIVIL SOCIETY COLLABORATION COMMODITIES COMMODITY COMMUNICATION SERVICE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE COMPUTERS CONNECTIVITY CONSULTATION CONSUMERS CORRUPTION DATA COLLECTION DATA COMMUNICATIONS DATA ENTRY DATA TRANSFER DECISION MAKING DIAL TONES DIGITAL MONEY DISCUSSIONS ELECTRICITY ELECTRONIC DEVICE ELECTRONIC FORM ELECTRONIC FORMS ELECTRONIC MEDIA ENUMERATORS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE RATE FEASIBILITY FEMALE FIGURES GENDER HOMES HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING ID IDENTITY MODULE IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD INSTALLATION INTERFACE INTERFACES INTERVIEWING INTERVIEWS LITERACY LIVING CONDITIONS LOCAL GOVERNMENT MARKET INFORMATION MARKETING MATERIAL MEDICINE MENU MISSING VALUES MOBILE APPLICATIONS MOBILE DEVICE MOBILE NETWORK MOBILE PHONE MOBILE PHONES MOBILE SERVICE MOBILE TELEPHONY MOBILE TRANSACTIONS MOBILE USER MOBILE USERS NAVIGATION OPEN ACCESS OPINION PACKET RADIO PACKET RADIO SERVICE PARTICIPATION RATES PERCEPTIONS PHONE NUMBERS POSTAL SERVICE POVERTY REDUCTION PROCUREMENT PROTOCOL QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONNAIRES RADIO RECONSTRUCTION RELIABILITY RELIABLE ACCESS RESPONSE RATES RESULT RESULTS RURAL AREAS SAMPLE SELECTION SAMPLE SIZE SERVER SERVICE PROVIDER SERVICE PROVIDERS SOCIOECONOMIC DATA SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEYS SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SURVEY DATA SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY METHODOLOGY SURVEY QUESTIONS SURVEY RESULTS TECHNICAL STANDARD TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TELEVISION TELEVISIONS TIME SERIES TOWNS TRANSMISSION URBAN AREAS URBAN POPULATION USER USERS WEB WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION |
| spellingShingle |
ACCESS TO SERVICES BLOG CALL CENTER CELL PHONE CELLULAR NETWORKS CHANGE CIVIL SOCIETY COLLABORATION COMMODITIES COMMODITY COMMUNICATION SERVICE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE COMPUTERS CONNECTIVITY CONSULTATION CONSUMERS CORRUPTION DATA COLLECTION DATA COMMUNICATIONS DATA ENTRY DATA TRANSFER DECISION MAKING DIAL TONES DIGITAL MONEY DISCUSSIONS ELECTRICITY ELECTRONIC DEVICE ELECTRONIC FORM ELECTRONIC FORMS ELECTRONIC MEDIA ENUMERATORS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE RATE FEASIBILITY FEMALE FIGURES GENDER HOMES HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING ID IDENTITY MODULE IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD INSTALLATION INTERFACE INTERFACES INTERVIEWING INTERVIEWS LITERACY LIVING CONDITIONS LOCAL GOVERNMENT MARKET INFORMATION MARKETING MATERIAL MEDICINE MENU MISSING VALUES MOBILE APPLICATIONS MOBILE DEVICE MOBILE NETWORK MOBILE PHONE MOBILE PHONES MOBILE SERVICE MOBILE TELEPHONY MOBILE TRANSACTIONS MOBILE USER MOBILE USERS NAVIGATION OPEN ACCESS OPINION PACKET RADIO PACKET RADIO SERVICE PARTICIPATION RATES PERCEPTIONS PHONE NUMBERS POSTAL SERVICE POVERTY REDUCTION PROCUREMENT PROTOCOL QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONNAIRES RADIO RECONSTRUCTION RELIABILITY RELIABLE ACCESS RESPONSE RATES RESULT RESULTS RURAL AREAS SAMPLE SELECTION SAMPLE SIZE SERVER SERVICE PROVIDER SERVICE PROVIDERS SOCIOECONOMIC DATA SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEYS SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SURVEY DATA SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY METHODOLOGY SURVEY QUESTIONS SURVEY RESULTS TECHNICAL STANDARD TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TELEVISION TELEVISIONS TIME SERIES TOWNS TRANSMISSION URBAN AREAS URBAN POPULATION USER USERS WEB WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION Demombynes, Gabriel Gubbins, Paul Romeo, Alessandro Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| geographic_facet |
Africa |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper; No. 6321 |
| description |
The proliferation of mobile phones in
developing countries has generated a wave of interest in
collecting high-frequency socioeconomic surveys using this
technology. This paper considers lessons from one such
survey effort in a difficult environment -- the South Sudan
Experimental Phone Survey, which gathered data on living
conditions, access to services, and citizen attitudes via
monthly interviews by phones provided to respondents.
Non-response, particularly in later rounds of the survey,
was a substantial problem, largely due to erratic
functioning of the mobile network. However, selection due to
non-response does not appear to have markedly affected
survey results. Response rates were much higher for
respondents who owned their own phones. Both compensation
provided to respondents in the form of airtime and the type
of phone (solar-charged or traditional) were varied
experimentally. The type of phone was uncorrelated with
response rates and, contrary to expectation, attrition was
slightly higher for those receiving the higher level of
compensation. The South Sudan Experimental Phone Survey
experience suggests that mobile phones can be a viable means
of data collection for some purposes, that calling people on
their own phones is preferred to handing out phones, and
that careful attention should be given to the potential for
selective non-response. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Demombynes, Gabriel Gubbins, Paul Romeo, Alessandro |
| author_facet |
Demombynes, Gabriel Gubbins, Paul Romeo, Alessandro |
| author_sort |
Demombynes, Gabriel |
| title |
Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| title_short |
Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| title_full |
Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| title_fullStr |
Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection : Evidence from South Sudan |
| title_sort |
challenges and opportunities of mobile phone-based data collection : evidence from south sudan |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17186643/challenges-opportunities-mobile-phone-based-data-collection-evidence-south-sudan http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12169 |
| _version_ |
1764422133439528960 |