The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is a household survey programme developed by UNICEF to assist countries in filling data gaps for monitoring human development in general and the situation of children and women in particular. MICS is capable of producing statistically sound, internationally comparable estimates of social indicators such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicators. It is a flexible tool that is reasonably inexpensive and relatively quick to implement. Background MICS was originally developed in response to the 1990 World Summit for Children to measure progress towards an internationally agreed set of goals. The first round of MICS was conducted around 1995 in more than 60 countries. A second round of surveys was conducted in 2000 (around 65 surveys), and resulted in an increasing wealth of data to monitor the situation of children and women. For the first time it was possible to monitor trends in many indicators and set baselines for other indicators. Purpose Information on around 20 of the 48 MDG indicators will be collected in the current round of MICS, offering the largest single source of data for MDG monitoring. The current round of MICS is thus focused on providing a monitoring tool for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Fit for Children (WFFC), as well as for other major international commitments, such as the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS and the Abuja targets for malaria. Content MICS questionnaires are designed in a modular fashion that can be easily customized to the needs of a country. They consist of a household questionnaire, a questionnaire for women aged 15-49 and a questionnaire for children under the age of five (to be administered to the mother or caretaker). HOUSEHOLD: Household Listing, Education, Water and Sanitation, Household Characteristics, and Child Labour. WOMEN: Child Mortality, Tetanus Toxoid, Maternal and Newborn Health, Marriage, Contraception, and HIV/AIDS. CHILDREN: Birth Registration and Early Learning, Vitamin A, Breastfeeding, Care of Illness, Immunization, and Anthropometry. The surveys are typically carried out by government organizations, with the support and assistance of UNICEF and other partners. Technical assistance and training for the surveys is provided through a series of regional workshops, covering questionnaire content, sampling and survey implementation; data processing; data quality and data analysis; report writing and dissemination.
