Coping with COVID-19 for LMI Segment

Coping with COVID-19
A story that focuses on the low and
middle-income segments and their
remarkable achievements, underlying
challenges, shocking misery, and new
opportunities amid COVID-19
A multi-country perspective: Bangladesh, India,
Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda
June, 2020

About this report
The first five months of 2020 has been difficult for all. It has
been rampant with a constant fear of exposure to infection,
information on loved ones and acquaintances becoming
infected, loss of loved ones, and loss of income. For many, food
on the table has been less while for some, unpaid work has
increased.
In this report, we focus on low- and middle-income (LMI)
households, which have uncertain and irregular incomes. In LMI
households, the daily income of the family ranges between USD
0-12. COVID-19 has been just the kind of event they always
feared. Their story of grit and adaptation is worth knowing and
provide critical insights, as global poverty rates are bound to
increase. We start with policy-specific suggestions in slides 3-7,
followed by slides with detailed data insights.
We spoke to 604 LMI households across Bangladesh, India,
Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda, between 1st and 17th April,
2020. We have synthesized the quantitative and qualitative
findings from these discussions in the following slides.
We also encourage you to visit interactive data analysis here.
2 All rights reserved. This documentis proprietary and confidential.
Lead authors:
Akhand Tiwari
Rahul Chatterjee
Graham A. N. Wright
Country teams:
India: Prairna Kaul, Gayatri, Manoshij Banerjee
Bangladesh: Mimansa Khanna, Jakirul Islam
Indonesia: Agnes Salyanty, Rahmatika Febrianti, Alfa Gratia Pelupessy
Kenya: Nancy Kiarie, Olivia Obeiro, Evelyne Matibe, Anup Singh
Uganda: Doreen Ahimbisibwe
Special thanks to:
Data Quality Manager: Mohak Srivastava
Data collection support: In India, Balram, Ravi Kaushal, Sachin, and
Lal Bahadur supported the data collection process.
Review support: Manoj Sharma, Parul Tandon
Copy edit support: Rahul Ganguly
Design support: Kamiya Satija

Governments have been successful in building awareness and inducing correct
practices, yet critical gaps remain
The LMI segment has adequate knowledge, attitude, and practice—but that is not enough.
Governments would like to ensure 100% awareness of critical elements, such as key symptoms and prevention measures,
and ensure that everyone practices them.
Please refer to slides 12-23 for more details
What is going well What are the critical gaps between knowledge and action
Knowledge
Close to 90% know that cough and fever can
be symptoms of COVID-19
Attitude
82% believe that the disease is highly fatal. A
similar number believe that staying at home or
practicing social distancing is the most effective
way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Practice
77% practice social distancing
98% wash their hands with soap and follow some
form of coughing etiquette
Only 36% are aware that breathlessness along with
cough and fever are the most common symptoms of
COVID-19
Only 28% know and could recall the COVID-19 helpline
number
Misconceptions on preventive measures and cure are
common (see slide 12 for details)
Only 17% have been using a face mask (Women 16% &
Men 17%).
7% is the gender gap when it comes to practicing social
distancing

Governments can make communication plans for COVID-19 more inclusive and
focused to drive specific behavior change among women and men
Prioritize messaging
Salience on three most important messages
needs to increase:
When to worry: Cough and fever
What to do: Social distancing, masks
Where to go: Nearest COVID-19
treatment center, helpline number
Broaden information channels
Policymakers need to broaden the sources
of information to include trusted opinion
influencers, such as MFI staff, CICO agents,
and others who interact with low- and
middle-income households.
Control misconceptions
Rebuttal of misconceptions is critical.
While TV in Asia and radio in Africa are trusted channels
for information, social media and word of mouth are the
main source of misconception. Governments should use
these and other person-to-person sources of information,
such as community health workers to curb misconceptions.
WHO launched its “Stop the Spread” campaign to tackle
misinformation and already has started working with the
Government of UK.
Be gender-centric
Governments need to proactively reach out to women,
with specific plans:
Identify channels that engage with women. These
may include: MFIs, savings groups, etc.
Examine options for opinion influencers, such as
health workers and group leaders, to engage in
conversations with women as that is the most
effective method of communication .

Household economics is the greatest worry for LMI households
While 78% of LMI households have either lost their jobs or are earning less, 65% have to depend on savings for survival;
the availability of food is the biggest concern for LMIs, followed by loss of income.
Skill development programs can prepare LMI households for the post COVID world.
• Please refer to slides 20-24 for more details.
• Research by scientists from the University of Minnesota and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health indicate that COVID-19 may last for 18-24 months and it will not be halted until 60-70% of the population is immune.
• Social distancing is here to stay, as per the articles here andhere.
• * In almost all research countries Governments have offered cash and food support programs. However, these programs come at a huge cost for the Government and will not be there for an indefinite period.
Most of the LMI segment will have to rebuild
livelihood as the world reopens. Skilling or
up-skilling programs to build skills, such as
using digital platforms, electrical and
electronic services, local food processing,
among others, will help them participate in
local economies. Indonesia’s pre
employment card program is a case in point.
Specific livelihood and skilling programs for
women must be a core strategy. When it
comes to fending for their families, women
are more likely to be out of options (14%)
compared to men (8%), as they lack
income, loan, savings, and government
support.
Strengthening rural and semi-urban
infrastructure, that is, roads, telephone
networks, the internet, and electricity
will help greatly. Better infrastructure
will link local players to markets.
Greater economic activity will provide
employment and income generation
opportunities to LMI workers.*
Local administrations need to be
incentivized, based on their
performance as they implement
livelihoods, infrastructure, and skilling
programs
Household
income
Skilling Infrastructure
Pillars of local
economic
development

The LMI segment is showing pro-digital behavior—a good sign for governments
that are willing to adopt the digital route to economic growth
However, policymakers need to be aware of the digital divide before going for an all-out digital agenda.
Please refer to slides:27 to 29 for more details
For more than half (57%) of the LMI segment, time spent on their
phone has increased.
44%
Social Media
40%
Reading news
19%
Entertainment apps
19%
Digital payment
Women suffer from a structural challenge— they have lower access to
smartphones (14% gender gap)
40% of the LMI segment decreased their visits to a bank branch. For
banks, this is an opportunity to go fully digital and develop a robust
cash-in cash-out (CICO) channel.
The push from governments toward digital should:
Put more focus on building infrastructure, such as high-speed internet
connectivity and apps in local languages;
Include principles of orality* and gender centrality while designing user
interfaces;
Safeguard the new digital users from the threat of fraud, which is most
likely to flourish in these difficult times;
Conduct high-frequency communication bursts to inform people about
precautions to be maintained on digital platforms—such as not sharing
OTP or PIN, not clicking on random links, not believe calls that offer
prize money, etc.
Motivate and incentivize ground-level frontline workers (CICO agents,
MFI staff, health workers) who have good rapport in the community to
build the confidence of users and help them troubleshoot.
Introduce specific outreach strategy for women, a critical component of
the push to digital, to both increase access to digital devices and build
their confidence in the use of digital services.
1
*”Orality” refers to the modes of thinking, speaking and managing information in societies where technologies of literacy (especially writing and print) are unfamiliar to most people
2
3 4

Women are likely to be forgotten in the pandemic response; a gender-
centrality lens to design and implement policy or program or both will be
essential
• Refer to detailed data insights slides for gender-disaggregated analysis: Slide 15, 28 specifically highlight gender issues with knowledge and household economics.
• Earlier in January, 2020, with support from FDC, we conducted a study of the success factors of 335 women-owned micro-enterprises in 10 districts of India. It identified customer-centricity, business acumen, and business strategy
as the three key ones. Only one-third of women-run enterprises were both successful and sustainable
The economic slowdown will have an impact on women-owned businesses. These are largely in the service sector, which has been hit
the hardest. The economic life of women will have the most disproportionately adverse impact.
Unpaid housework has increased—33% of the LMI segment believe that burden of unpaid work on women has increased—more in Asia
(54%) compared to Africa (12%).
A gender centrality lens means that questions, such
as those mentioned below are addressed:
How do we make sure food support reaches
women (while designing a food distribution
program)?
How do we ensure financial service providers
give credit to women under various credit
stimuli (that most governments have
announced**)?
How do we ensure the right information on
COVID-19 prevention reaches women?
How do we ensure women are part of
enhanced digital outreach?
Specific programs to promote gender equality in economic and social life are
important
Women entrepreneurship hubs that provide customized support to develop business
need to be developed and organized. These hubs provide services, such as access to
information and information on how to build networks. Specialized credit rating
methods or agencies for women enterprises, or both, can be developed too. (Also see
MSC Strategic Insights #7)
The pandemic also provides an opportunity to make it clear that household work is
unpaid work, primarily done by the women in the house. In the short term, policymakers
can issue messages via TV or radio to highlight the economic burden that women carry
while they are at home. An acknowledgment of their importance could change how
women are treated in communities, including changes in gender-based violence,
freedom to make choices, and prevalent caregiving norms.
• **The governments of India, Bangladesh, Indonesia Kenya, and Uganda have announced such supportpackages.

Detailed data insights: What the
LMI segments know about COVID-19

Television is a major source of information on the pandemic, across all
countries
While Kenyans and Ugandans believe in listening to radio,
Indonesians prefer to read social media content.
Women all across prefer engaging in conversation!
30%
41%
18%
17%
27%
Children
The elderly
Those who have
recently travelled
Already sick people
Anyone
TV (76%) and social media (56%) are the two top sources
of information on the pandemic, followed by radio (39%)
and social network# (32%)
Newspapers (14%) and government officials (12%) are not
effective sources of information
Social media is a significantly strong channel in Indonesia
(80%); While radio is a hit in African countries (Uganda:
80%, Kenya: 63%)
Social networks# are a much stronger source of
information for women (40% as against 25% for men)
* Multiple responses were allowed
# Neighbors/Local shop/friends/relatives
Bangladeshis are least aware of the likelihood of
infection—24% mentioned lack of any knowledge on who is
more vulnerable to getting infected by coronavirus
Who is most likely to be affected by COVID-19*
Other responses included Female (6%) and Male (3%)

LMI people have a good awareness of COVID-19 albeit with a few critical
knowledge gaps
77%
59%
60%
33%
Contacting an infected person
Touching infected things like
currency notes, doorknobs, etc.
36%
42%
90%
91%
All three symptoms
Breathlessness
Fever
Cough
People most often hear that coronavirus can be prevented through social distancing (71%) and that maintaining hygiene
and cleanliness will kill the virus (42%)
How does COVID-19 spread?* What are the symptoms of COVID-19*
Global (except Kenya) Kenya
* In Kenya, the question was treated as a multiple response one and in other four countries it was
treated as a single response one. To adjust for this difference in data collection, we have shown this
indicator separately for Kenya and rest of the countries.
Country-wise break-up of
how many respondents
picked all three—cough,
fever, and breathlessness
Bangladesh – 31%
India – 42%
Indonesia – 45%
Kenya - 44%
Uganda – 19%
Ideally, everyone should be aware of the
most common symptoms of COVID-19 and
how it spreads.

Women are affected the most with this knowledge gap
Gender differences regarding knowledge about all the most common symptoms vary across countries
Except in Uganda and Indonesia, women were less likely to be aware of the three most common symptoms of COVID-19—cough, fever, and
breathlessness/
Although majority (62%) of the respondents mentioned that men and women know equally about coronavirus infection.
Who has more awareness about the disease in your family?
62% 23% 15%
Both women and men know equally about COVID-19
Men know more than women
Women know more than men
India39%
32%
23%
25%
46%
Kenya
Bangladesh
Uganda
Indonesia
46%
50%
34%
10%
43%

Misconception or malpractices, though not widespread, are indeed present
across the globe
Across countries, there are a lot of home remedies to cure or prevent COVID-19
• “I have increased my intake of waragi (a crude local gin). I was told that the virus cannot attack a body that is saturated with waragi” -
a respondent in Uganda
• One should always take hot water with lemon every morning and night, it will help kill the virus”- a respondent from Kenya
What people hear about COVID-19 Medicine to cure or prevent COVID-19
In India, COVID-19 is being spread by few specific communities
or groups—both intentionally and unintentionally
COVID-19 virus is a scientific experiment gone wrong
Common symptoms of COVID-19 infection include: running nose
(54%), headache (24%), face turning pale (21%), dizziness (15%).
58% respondents (76% in Indonesia) also reported about medicine
or local solution for the pandemic. These included:
India: Peepal (Ficus religiosa) leaf in oil, hot water, lemon
water, neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf and paste, herbs or
spices to boost immunity, chanting mantras, and anti-malarial
or anti-pneumonia medicines
Kenya: Azithromycin, Ibuprofen, Alcohol, neem (Azadirachta
indica) leaf, black tea, and a traditional concoction of lemons,
ginger, garlic, and warm water
Indonesia: Turmeric, lemongrass, herbal drinks, galangal,
betel leaves, palm sugar—all as preventives
Bangladesh: Paracetamol, Chloroquine
Uganda: Walking barefoot

Most LMIs know where and when to go for testing
98% of respondents reported that government-run or government-listed labs, or both, are the “go to” place for testing
and treatment if someone gets infected.
62% of respondents mentioned seeking healthcare as the next step if someone shows COVID-19 symptoms
3%
4%
11%
82%
When your health
worsens severely
Do not know
When the local doctor
recommends testing
As soon as you begin to
show symptoms
When should one go for testing?
More men (36%) than women
(26%) reported social
distancing or isolation as the
next step if someone shows
symptoms.
6%
18%
32%
44%
Others
Call the local health helpline
number
Social distancing or isolation
Consult community health
workers or the nearest hospital
What should be the immediate next step if someone shows
symptoms of COVID-19?

Only 28% of the respondents know and could recall the COVID-19 helpline
number
22%
13%
15%
61%
14%
India
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Kenya
Uganda
Though all five research geographies have a dedicated national COVID-19 helpline number, the recall is quite low. 32%
knew of a helpline but did not remember the number.
The recall of COVID-19 helpline is exceptionally high in Kenya
Women (24%) are less likely to recall the helpline number than men (31%)
Do you know the helpline numbers?
Percentage who said yes, and remembered the number
Country Helpline number
Uganda 0800100066
0800203033
Kenya 719
Indonesia 119
Bangladesh 10655
01944333222
India 23978046
Toll-free: 1075
(Different states have dedicated
helpline numbers too)
“I know there is a helpline number, but I do not remember it off-hand” - a hawker in India
We find a high gender
gap in Bangladesh
16%
5%
Male Female

Detailed data insights:
Attitudes and practices

Almost 80% think that the COVID-19 infection is fatal
1%
7%
8%
82%
Not too fatal, it
is all media
propoganda
Fatal only for
old people
Mildly fatal
Highly fatal
Due to availability bias, most people, both men and women, feel that COVID-19 is highly fatal
How fatal is the COVID-19 infection?
27%
56%
Indonesia
• In Indonesia, only 45% of the respondents believe that
COVID-19 is highly fatal. More women think it is fatal
than men.
• In Indonesia, 40% believe that it is fatal but only for old
people.
“This is a very fatal infection, but that is all I know...” - a farmer in northern India
Male
Female

Social distancing and proper hand washing are seen as the top two most
effective measure to prevent the virus*
People believe that the best ways to prevent infection are to practice social distancing (82%) and proper hand-washing
(78%). Using face masks (22%) comes as a distant third choice.
Which one do you think is most effective for preventing COVID-19?*
5%
5%
22%
78%
82%
Disinfecting home
Having healthy food
Using face mask
Using hand sanitizer/handwashing
with soap
Staying at home/social distancing
Use of resources between men and women
75% of respondents mentioned that men and
women both use household resources, such as
masks, soap, and food equally. Yet, there are
significant variations among countries—Uganda
(89%), Kenya (88%), Bangladesh (73%), India
(69%), and Indonesia (43%).
In Indonesia, 52% of women respondents said
women use the resources more.
The focus on hand-washing is comparatively lower in
Asian countries than African countries
• Asia 71% (India=66%, Bangladesh=76%, Indonesia=75%)
• Africa 85% (Kenya=82% Uganda=89%)
In Uganda, only 3%
mentioned that they
bought face mask for
all family members
* We asked respondents to mention the top two measures

The gap between knowledge and action# seems to be low on social distancing
and handwashing
3%
17%
22%
Stopped having outside food
Bought face masks for all
family members
Got the house thoroughly
cleaned
Practice social distancing 77%
# Knowledge-action gap: the respondent knows about a particular prevention measure but does not practice it. We calculate this gap by doing cross-tabulation between those who know social distancing and handwashing as prevention
measures and those who practicethese
Note: At the time of data collection all research countries except Indonesia were under complete (India, Bangladesh) or partial/limited (Kenya, Uganda) lockdown
98% of respondents mentioned that they are
practicing handwashing with soap.
98% of respondents follow some form of coughing
etiquette; while 52% cover mouth with
handkerchief, 27% cover face with elbow, and
19% use cupped hands while coughing or sneezing
31% of respondents are still going out while
maintaining social distancing
62% are either completely locked down or going
out only in case of emergency.In Indonesia, respondents reported focusing most on getting the house
thoroughly cleaned (50%), followed by social distancing (30%) and getting
face masks for family members (25%).
* Multiple responses were allowed
Our data shows a 20% knowledge-action gap when it comes to social distancing and a 2% knowledge-action gap for
handwashing.
What measures you or your family have taken to prevent What are the prevalent practices?
COVID-19?*

Awareness is high regarding the preventive measures by governments to
control the spread of the pandemic
14%
12%
14%
12%
24%
61%
Community taking its own initiative
Disinfecting the area
Nothing
Advisory kits with oral or printed messages
SMS on phone
Enforcing social distancing
SMS on phone from the government is most
commonly reported in Uganda (54%)
Community-driven initiatives are the strongest in
Bangladesh (36%). Examples include youth in the
village drawing a boundary of bamboo around the
village area, stopping the entry of outsiders in the
village, among others
* Multiple responses wereallowed
More than or almost half of the respondents in each country mentioned enforcing social distancing as a main response by
the government
How is the government helping you?*

Impact on household economics

Low-income households face a serious economic crisis: 78% respondents
either stopped earning or are earning less
55% 7% 16% 15% 7%
Lost the job
Income remained the same
Income has decreased
Stopped earning wages
Others
• “My boss decided to close the restaurant because of the outbreak.
Now I do not have an income.” – A cake seller in Indonesia
• “Most of my income used to come from making airport transfers.
Ever since flights have stopped, I have had no business.” – A taxi
driver in urban Kenya
51% 31% 18%
I cannot go out to work
Fewer people are coming to the shop to buy goods
My employer has stopped working
In Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda, both men and women reported an
almost similar impact on income
In India, more men (16%) than women (7%) reported their income
remaining the same even after the pandemic. This could be because
more men are in public sector jobs than women.
In contrast, in Bangladesh, more women (27%) than men (16%)
reported that their income remained the same. 36% of women
mentioned that they have salaries as a means to sustain themselves,
as compared to 19% of men.
*At the time of data collection all research countries except Indonesia were under complete (India, Bangladesh) or partial/limited (Kenya, Uganda) lockdown
Strict social distancing measures and lockdowns have resulted in loss of income.
Has the COVID-19 outbreak affected your income from Why has your income been affected?
office or work?
*Others include delays in payments and partial payments

Disturbing and sad stories are rife among low-income households
Overall, in geographies under lockdown#, 45% of households mention financial crises, out of which 32% mention food
shortage as well.
*At the time of data collection, all research countries except Indonesia were under complete lockdown (India, Bangladesh) or partial/limited lockdown (Kenya, Uganda)
90%
81%
83%
Percentage of people for whom income reduced or
stopped (by location)
Rural
Urban
Semi-urban
The economic crisis is more severe in rural areas. Also
see this and this.
Except for Indonesia (65%), a significantly high number
of respondents in rural areas reported a change in their
income.
For Indonesia, a major reason for income change is
employer stopping the work (28%)
This variation in Indonesia could be due to late
lockdown in the country*
• “Because I am no longer earning, we have a breakfast of porridge, water, and sweet potato at 11:00 am. The next meal serves as lunch
and supper is at 7:00 pm. We will keep having one meal until the situation stabilizes.” – A businessman in rural Uganda
• We will die out of hunger and not from corona if this lockdown goes on for 10 more days” – A rickshaw puller inBangladesh
• This is the Easter season. Usually around this time, the sales are high. However, this year due to COVID-19, we have not made any
money.” – A produce trader in Kenya

For most (65%), savings are getting depleted; but for many (20%), this is not an
option
8%
11%
15%
65%
Government help 1%
Loans from friend and family
No options left if this persists
Salary
Savings
People are mostly surviving on their savings. 15% respondents in Bangladesh and Uganda and 22% in Indonesia reported
that they will not be able to sustain if the situation continues.
How are you fending for yourself*?
Respondents from rural areas (69%) more likely to depend on
savings, than urban (59%) and semi-urban (58%) areas
India (78%) and Uganda (79%) are countries with a high
dependency on savings. For Kenya, it is 65% and 33% for
Indonesia
In Bangladesh, where 39% now depend on savings, there is a
huge gender difference in the number of women (18%)
depending on savings than men (47%).
Further, globally, women are more likely to say that there are
no options to fend for themselves (14%) than men (8%)
*Respondents were asked to mention the most important contributor to their income
# India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda. Our team had finished data collection before the countrywide lockdown was announced inIndonesia
• I do not know… I am a single parent. I have a lot of debt. My savings have exhausted. Perhaps I will ask for a loan… to who else if not to
my boss?” – a maid in Indonesia
• "If this lockdown goes on for two more days, I will commit suicide as I cannot see my children go hungry,” - a rickshaw puller in
Bangladesh

“I hate this situation. My work at home has increased so much!” - a woman wage labor in India
Amid low incomes, the burden of unpaid work has increased for women
7% 33% 40% 20%
How has domestic work (particularly cleaning and hygiene) changed in your
household? Has increased for male
member
Has increased for female
member
Has become equal
Was equal always
26% 34% 39%
Who is mainly keeping the family's health in check (for instance, providing
supplements to boost immunity, tending the sick, arranging doctor's appointment)?
Male member
Female member
Both members equally
In Asia, while 59% men accepted that work for women has increased, women did not echo a similar feeling for men;
very few women in Indonesia (18%) , India (9%) and Bangladesh (0%) thought that work for men has increased.
In Kenya (6%) and Uganda (9%), very few men thought work for women has increased. One percent of women in
Uganda and no women in Kenya thought that work for men has increased.
Bangladesh – has work
become equal?
9%
41%
Male Female
Uganda – has work
become equal?
56%
69%
Male Female

Governments are devising interventions to support the economy of poor
households
The direct transfer of cash benefits, waivers, and free ration is at the core of most government interventions.
Country Measures taken by the government to provide food and compensate for loss of income Additional reading
India
Cash subsidy to farmers, widows, old aged people, disabled, Jan Dhan account holders
Free ration
MSC’s state index
Local food system
and COVID-19
Bangladesh
Free or cheap ration distribution
Cash transfer (planned)
Wallet
interoperability in
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Incentives to those affected by the termination of work in the informal sector through pre-
employment card
Training and cash compensation to those who lost their jobs
Increased beneficiaries of basic food program
In-kind food to the poor at the local government level
Launched re-skilling
programs
Kenya
Food supply to poor communities at local levels
Supply of personal protective equipment (masks, sanitizer) to vulnerable populations
Role of DFS agents
during the COVID-19
crisis
Uganda Food supply to vulnerable people
Govt. response to
COVID-19

The biggest concern for the poor is food and hence they expect the
government to be the provider in these times
10%
11%
14%
17%
23%
23%
38%
Identify more cases and treat them
Equipping hospitals and providing facilities
to manage the infected
Ease up rent/mortgage payments for those
out of work during the pandemic
Make more testing available
Implement measures, such as lockdown, to
slow the spread of the virus
Subsidy or payments to the poor
Ensure food supply
India: Demands are mostly related to ensuring food and
income during the lockdown.
Bangladesh: People are mostly concerned about the
leakage in ration provided by the government. This has a
serious impact on food supply. Another demand was to
share the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases
transparently.
Indonesia: The demands are around faster response and
better coordination
Kenya: The demands are to continue the lockdown,
enforce mass testing, supplement income, and implement
less strict implementation without police brutality
Uganda: The demands are for waiving off tariffs for power
and water, postponing loan repayments, sensitizing people
in rural areas, among other things
A common demand across countries was to find a cure for
COVID-19
What recommendations would you make to the government as it tries
to respond to the corona epidemic*?
*Multiple responses recorded
The recovery may follow a U-shaped curve, rather than a V-shaped one, which means that LMIs will need government
support to sustain themselves.
Ensuring food supply is critical. Failure to do so can push the world back to the times of food insecurity, leading to a
rise in rates of malnourishment globally. (Also see this)
Country-level variation among peoples’ demand

Impact on digital life

A pro-digital practice is sinking in among the poor, including a low to
moderate increase in digital payment
A restriction on mobility or self-induced restriction, or both, have led to increased time on the phone for more than half
of the respondents—mostly on social media 44%, and reading news 40%
Time spent on the phone
increased, 57%
Time spent on the phone
remained same, 43%
44%
40%
19%
5%
19%
More time on Facebook,
WhatsApp, or Instagram
Reading news on the phone
Downloaded and used apps for
entertainment
Downloaded and used new app
to order online food or grocery
Increased use of digital
payment
Time spent on the phone has mostly increased in Kenya
(93%) followed by Indonesia (59%), India (58%) and Uganda
(38%). Bangladesh (26%) reported the lowest increase.
In Kenya, there is a significant
increase in the use of digital
payment (43%) with no visible
gender difference.
More men (63%) than women (51%)
reported an increase in the time
spent on the phone, except for in
Indonesia
70% of men reported having a
smartphone compared to 56% of
women
60%
Indonesia – time on the phone
33%
9%
57%
Male Female
Bangladesh – time on the phone
Male Female

Although financial transactions have decreased in general, how physical cash
is being used has changed significantly
5%
1%
12%
6%
16%
32%
40%
30%
25%
48%
62%
59%
58%
69%
37%
Increased Decreased Remained same
Use of physical cash
Use of debit cards
Use of CICO agents
Use of bank branch
Use of ATM
The use of cash increased the most
in Kenya (35%), followed by Uganda
(18%), and India (9%).
The decrease in the use of debit cards
is very high among males in
Bangladesh (79%), India (34%),
Indonesia (30%), followed by Kenya,
where it is similar for men and women
(24%)
The use of CICO agent points has
seen an increase in India (12%),
Uganda (11%) and Kenya (23%)
The decrease in the use of bank
branch is the highest in India
(72%). While banking is listed as
essential service, India has been
pushing the use of CICO agents.
The use of debit cards and ATMs are the least impacted. Further, it seems that a decrease in the use of the bank has
pushed the use of both physical cash and CICO agents
The use of cash has both increased and decreased. The decrease could be due to both fewer transactions and fear of the spread of
infection through cash. The increase in the use of cash is because the LMI segment is keeping cash at home to meet expenses. This also
explains the increased use of CICO agents. In a parallel study by MSC, more than 60% of the agents mention an increase in daily cash-in
cash-out transactions

Study design
The objective of the research Study design
Countries: India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda
Location divide: Rural, urban, and peri-urban areas
Sample size: 604
• India=144, Bangladesh=80, Indonesia=80, Kenya=153,
• Uganda=147
Method: Telephonic survey
Data collectors were trained in detail about how to ask questions,
where to probe, how to record responses, etc.
Data quality was assured through virtual spot checks, telephonic
back checks, review of audio recordings, and concurrent checking of
data
Owing to low and non-representative samples from each country,
the findings are directional and indicative, and cannot be
generalized.
Owing to the differences between countries in the COVID-19
situation and sample distribution, cross-country comparison of
indicators has not been done. Instead, we present global aggregate-
level findings and country-specific insights in this report.
The objective of the research was to assess the following:
Knowledge, awareness and attitude towards the COVID-19 virus
Practices adopted to prevent COVID-19
Impact on social behavior, gender roles, digital life, and
household economics
The government’s response: actual and expectation
Knowledge Attitude Practice
Economic
impact
Impact on digital
ecosystem Gender

Annex 2:
Sample characteristics

Sample distribution
The sample is mostly young to middle-aged with a near-equal distribution of gender and location (urban/rural)
19%
59%
20%
2%
Age (in years)
16-25 26-40 41-60 60+
37%
17%
46%
Location
Urban Peri-urban Rural
52%
48%
Gender
Male Female

Some of our partners and clients
MSC is recognized as the world’s local expert in economic, social and
financial inclusion
International financial,
social & economic inclusion
consulting firm with 20+
years of experience
180+ staff in 11
offices around the
world
Projects in ~65
developing countries
Our impact so far
Developed
275+ FI products
and channels now usedby
55 million+ people
550+
clients
Trained 9,000+
leading FI specialists globally
Implemented
>850 DFS projects
>850
publications
Assisted development of digital
G2P services used by
875 million+ people

Asia head office
28/35, Ground Floor, Princeton Business Park,
16 Ashok Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 226001
Tel: +91-522-228-8783 | Fax: +91-522-406-3773 | Email: manoj@microsave.net
Africa head office
Shelter Afrique House, Mamlaka Road,
P.O. Box 76436, Yaya 00508, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +25-420-272-4801 | Fax: +25-420-272-0133 | Email: anup@microsave.net
MSC corporate brochure | Contact us at info@microsave.net

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