Collecting Data During an Epidemic: A Novel Mobile Phone Research Method

Abstract

This study developed a data collection method, combining (i) random-digit dialling and interactive voice response to sample and screen respondents and (ii) computer-assisted telephone interviewing, to survey 2265 respondents during the 2014 Ebola epidemic. The response, cooperation, refusal and contact rates computed according to the American Association for Public Opinion Research were 51.97, 52.62, 41.85 and 98.77 per cent, for interactive voice response and 91.10, 91.65, 8.30 and 99.40 per cent for computer-assisted telephone interviewing. A comparison with Demographic and Health Surveys confirmed that the sample is not nationally representative. However, this method offers promise for data collection at a low cost ($24) and without any in-person interaction. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.