Centre plans digital push to tackle non-response in sample surveys

Government data shows that the share of people averse to the surveys conducted by the NSO more than doubled in five years between the 75th National Sample Survey

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is considering allowing responses through digital mode in sample surveys in a bid to tackle the increasing instances of non-responsiveness among respondents, especially high-income groups. 

The new facility being considered will be used to canvass responses for household-based sample surveys such as household consumption expenditure survey (HCES), periodic labour force survey (PLFS), time use survey (TUS) and All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS), among others. “The field enumerators will continue canvassing the responses as usual. The online facility or the use of other digital means will be developed and used in instances where in-person canvassing of responses is difficult due to paucity of time or other reasons, particularly in high-income housing societies,” an official said. 

People from higher-income groups, both in rural and urban areas, are more reluctant to participate in surveys, with many of them refusing to provide information. Among other probable causes, the refusal by gated communities to provide access and non-cooperation by the households are also significant.    

Government data shows that the share of people averse to surveys conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) more than doubled in five years. This is between the 75th National Sample Survey (NSS) round (July 2017- June 2018) and the 79th NSS round (July 2022-June 2023). 

 

In urban areas, nearly 6.9 per cent people surveyed by the NSO for the 79th NSS round did not participate in the exercise. And, the number of people in rural India that refused to participate in these surveys stood at 3.9 per cent. In contrast, the non-response rate for the 75th round of NSS was 2.8 per cent in urban areas and 1.5 per cent in rural areas. 

“A quasi-digital facility was used in the recently conducted private capex survey, which is an enterprise-based survey. The enterprises were allowed to submit their responses online. This helped us in canvassing more responses. The idea is to allow the same facility for household-based surveys as well,” said the official. 

PC Mohanan, former acting chairman, National Statistical Commission, said that though non-responsiveness in India is low as compared to developed countries, the instances of people not responding to government surveys are increasing. 

Using online tools may not actually help as there won't be any mechanism to check the veracity of the data submitted, he said.  “Emphasis should be laid on training the field enumerators better and allowing some flexibility in the schedule of the surveys. Also, there should be an attempt to collect data only for a handful of necessary surveys. Otherwise, people find it hard to justify the time that they are investing in providing information. Currently, online facilities are only used for collecting data for preparing indices like consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation and index of industrial production (IIP). Otherwise, for all other surveys — whether establishment-based or household-based, field enumerators make visits,” he added. 

Government data also showed that in the recently conducted HCES for 2022-23, the non-response rate hovered around 9.8 per cent in cities and 4.1 per cent in villages.