2022-’23 Malawi rapid mortality mobile phone survey (RaMMPS) dataset

In countries with limited civil registration and vital statistics systems, mortality estimates are often derived from periodic censuses and household surveys. Mobile Phone Surveys (MPS) offer a potentially cost-effective and efficient alternative for mortality monitoring. However, their utility for this purpose still requires rigorous evaluation. The Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Surveys (RaMMPS) project aims to develop and validate methodologies for collecting mortality data through phone-based surveys. The Malawi RaMMPS fieldwork was conducted between 24 January 2022 and 28 July 2023 and included several survey modules, including respondent background characteristics, COVID-19 vaccination status, deaths in the household in the three months prior to the interview, parental survival histories, sibling survival histories, and pregnancy histories. The resulting datasets can be used for estimating mortality and assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey paradata can be used for analysing respondent engagement and the data collection process in an MPS.