Researchers measured the impacts of the COVID lockdowns on well-being using monthly phone surveys with households as well as with food vendors in local markets. The surveys were implemented as part of an ongoing evaluation of a large unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program, and data collection started well before the global onset of COVID-19, and has continued throughout the pandemic. The household survey was conducted every 2 months (with half of the sample interviewed each month) and includes questions on food security, income, labor supply, expenditures, transfers and other related outcomes. The second survey is with food vendors in markets in the study area, as well as in comparable markets elsewhere in the country, and is conducted monthly. This survey includes questions on food prices; in addition, in the weeks following the imposition of COVIDrelated public health measures, researchers added retrospective questions on market activity including income, revenues, the number of customers, and supply chains. Finally, in both surveys, they added modules specific to COVID-19, including questions on attitudes and behavior changes.
- In both countries, market activity was severely disrupted and researchers observe large declines in income among market vendors.
- But there was no evidence of declines in food security for households in the short run.
- Even though no adverse effects of the lockdowns on food security were observed among the control group, cash transfers improved dietary quality and quantity over the low levels observed at baseline.