The Hindu : The survey methodology

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003

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National

The survey methodology

This analysis is based on a post-election survey conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi, exclusively for The Hindu. The field work for the survey was conducted on December 1 and 2. The voters were interviewed in their homes soon after the voting was over on December 1. The field work was completed before the counting began on December 4. The interviews were conducted using a standard, structured questionnaire. In order to maintain confidentiality, dummy ballot papers and dummy ballot boxes were used while eliciting from respondents the answer to the voting question.

The sample was finalised in three stages. First, the Assembly constituencies were selected. Then the localities where the survey would be done were chosen. Then, the respondents were identified.

In Madhya Pradesh, the survey was conducted in a sample of 49 Assembly constituencies out of the total of 230. In the second stage of sampling, in each of the 49 Assembly constituencies four localities were randomly selected, the number adding up to 196. In the third stage of sampling, respondents were randomly selected from the electoral rolls of the chosen localities. In order to account for any non-response from the chosen voters, a slightly higher number of respondents was selected than the actual number of interviews that were expected to be conducted. Of the total of 3,528 respondents, 1,814 were interviewed in Madhya Pradesh.

A team of 100 field investigators and five supervisors conducted the field work. The central team at the CSDS comprised Himanshu Bhattacharya, Banasmita Bora, Chetan Bahrmoria, Abhay Datar, K.A.Q.A. Hilal, Bhaskar Jha, Purushottam Kumarr Jha, Dhananjai Joshi, Rajat Joshi, Manoj Kumar, Kanchan Malhotra and Ved Prakash.

Similar analyses pertaining to Delhi and Rajasthan were published in these columns on December 8 and 9. The series will continue.

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