Lok Sabha Question No. 360 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-27
Subject: Challenges in data collection from higher income sections of Society
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Asaduddin Owaisi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 360 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2024

## CHALLENGES IN DATA COLLECTION FROM HIGHER INCOME SECTIONS OF SOCIETY

## 360.  SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is facing challenges in gathering data from higher-income sections of society, particularly those living in gated societies in urban areas;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  specific  data  collection  exercises  or surveys which are getting affected by this issue;
- (c) the extent to which these challenges impact the representativeness and accuracy of national data sets;
- (d) the measures being taken by the Government to ensure that all sections of society, including higher-income groups, are adequately covered in data collection exercises; and
- (e) whether the Government is considering any legislative measures to  ensure  ease  and  accuracy  of  the  data  collection  process,  if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION,  MINISTER  OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE [RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

(a) to (e): Sample surveys being conducted by Ministry  of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) are vital for collecting data that informs public policy across various sectors like health, education,  and  economic  planning,  etc.  These  surveys  cover  the entire  country  except  some  villages  of  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands which remain inaccessible. The large-scale sample surveys often face practical challenges, with non-response being a significant issue. This occurs when selected samples fail to provide requested information or submit  unusable  data,  contributing to  non-sampling  errors.  Nonresponse  among  high-income  groups  and  gated  societies  presents particular challenges, as these respondents have unique motivations and barriers to participation.  Addressing the  non-response is crucial for  obtaining  representative  data  that  accurately  reflects  societal trends and needs.

These sample surveys follow scientific sampling designs for selection of sample households in order to ensure representativeness of sample using area frame consisting of villages and blocks available respectively  from  the  Population  Census  for  rural  areas  and  Urban Frame Survey for urban areas. These lists contain information related to all households belonging to all sections of the society. With a view to ensure appropriate representation of all sections of the society in the  surveys,  all  households  of  a  selected  village  or  urban  block  are considered for preparation of an exhaustive list as far as possible and from this list, a number of households, following a scientific method, are  chosen  for  detailed  canvassing  of  the  survey  questionnaire. Further, in some surveys, consistent with the objective, the households  of  the  village/block are classified into  a  number  of homogeneous  groups  and  from  these  groups  appropriate  number  of households are selected for the survey.

Further, in case of non-cooperation from any of the selected households,  field  officials  make  efforts  to  address  the  issue  by persuading the informant with necessary information and documents. Liasioning with local police station/public representatives/RWA of the area  is  also  done  at  the  Regional  level  to  gather  support  and cooperation  for  conducting  the  survey  smoothly.  Further,  various awareness activities are undertaken by field offices at local level to describe about the survey objective, usefulness of survey and assurance about confidentiality of data to encourage participation of the households.

Recently, MoSPI organized a brainstorming session in September 2024 which  brought  together  key  stakeholders,  including  policymakers, urban economists, survey agencies, and representatives from multilateral  organizations  like  the  World  Bank  and  ILO,  as  well  as officials from state statistical agencies and Residents Welfare Associations  (RWAs)  with  an  objective  to  develop  strategies  to contribute  valuable  data  and  build  trust  among  the  non-responding target  population  by  educating  them  on  the  importance  of  data  and privacy policies.