RESEARCH

Definition

 Research is defined as careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or

problem using scientific methods. According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie,
“research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed
phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.”

Inductive research methods analyse an observed event, while deductive methods verify the
observed event. Inductive approaches are associated with qualitative research, and deductive
methods are more commonly associated with quantitative analysis.

Characteristics of research

1. Good research follows a systematic approach to capture accurate data. Researchers

need to practice ethics and a code of conduct while making observations or drawing
conclusions.
2. The analysis is based on logical reasoning and involves both inductive and
deductive methods.
3. Real-time data and knowledge is derived from actual observations in natural
settings.
4. There is an in-depth analysis of all data collected so that there are no anomalies
associated with it.
5. It creates a path for generating new questions. Existing data helps create more
research opportunities.
6. It is analytical and uses all the available data so that there is no ambiguity in
inference.
7. Accuracy is one of the most critical aspects of research. The information must be
accurate and correct. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment to
collect data. Accuracy is measured in the instruments used, the calibrations of
instruments or tools, and the experiment’s final result.

  Purpose of research

There are three main purposes:

1. Exploratory: As the name suggests, researchers conduct exploratory studies to

explore a group of questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a conclusion
to the perceived problem. It is undertaken to handle new problem areas that haven’t
been explored before. This exploratory process lays the foundation for more
conclusive data collection and analysis.
2. Descriptive: It focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues through a
process of data collection. Descriptive research describe the behavior of a sample
population. Only one variable is required to conduct the study. The three primary
purposes of descriptive studies are describing, explaining, and validating the
findings. For example, a study conducted to know if top-level management leaders
 in the 21st century possess the moral right to receive a considerable sum of money
from the company profit.
3. Explanatory: Causal or explanatory research is conducted to understand the
impact of specific changes in existing standard procedures. Running experiments is
the most popular form. For example, a study that is conducted to understand the
effect of rebranding on customer loyalty.
Here is a comparative analysis for better understanding:

Explanatory
Exploratory Research Descriptive Research
Research
Approach used Unstructured Structured Highly structured
Conducted
Asking questions Asking questions By using hypotheses.
through
Early stages of Later stages of Later stages of
Time
decision making decision making decision making
Research begins by asking the right questions and choosing an appropriate method to
investigate the problem. After collecting answers to your questions, you can analyze the
findings or observations to draw reasonable conclusions.

When it comes to customers and market studies, the more thorough your questions, the better
the analysis. You get essential insights into brand perception and product needs by
thoroughly collectin g customer data through surveys and questionnaires. You can use this
data to make smart decisions about your marketing strategies to position your business
effectively.

To be able to make sense of your research and get insights faster, it helps to use a research
repository as a single source of truth in your organization and to manage your research data in
one centralized repository.

Types of research methods

Research methods are broadly classified as Qualitative and Quantitative.

Both methods have distinctive properties and data collection methods.

Qualitative methods

Qualitative research is a method that collects data using conversational methods,

usually open-ended questions. The responses collected are essentially non-numerical. This
method helps a researcher understand what participants think and why they think in a
particular way.

Types of qualitative methods include:

1. One-to-one Interview
 2. Focus Groups
3. Ethnographic studies
4. Text Analysis
5. Case Study
Quantitative methods

Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It uses a systematic way of

investigating events or data. It answers questions to justify relationships with measurable
variables to either explain, predict, or control a phenomenon.

Types of quantitative methods include:

1. Survey research
2. Descriptive research
3. Correlational research
Remember, research is only valuable and useful when it is valid, accurate, and reliable.
Incorrect results can lead to customer churn and a decrease in sales.

It is essential to ensure that your data is:

 Valid – founded, logical, rigorous, and impartial.

 Accurate – free of errors and including required details.
 Reliable – other people who investigate in the same way can produce similar results.
 Timely – current and collected within an appropriate time frame.
 Complete – includes all the data you need to support your business decision

CENSUS

Definition

A well- organized procedure of gathering, recording and analysing information regarding the
members of the population is called a census. It is an official and complete count of the
universe, wherein each and every unit of the universe is included in the collection of data.
Here universe implies any region (city or country), a group of people, through which the data
can be acquired

Methods

Census can be conducted on the following basis

1. De facto method
2. De jure method
3. Modified de jure method

De facto method
 In this method people are counted in place where they are found.
 In order to conduct census on the basis of this method, the government declares fixed
date as census day and all people are pre-informed of counting.
  This type of census Is conducted at night, because it is presumed that all household
are present on their residences during that time.
 This technique was followed both in England and in India up to the 1931 census

De jure method
 The census method which can be conducted on the basis of permanent place of
residence is called de jure method.
 This method is considered more practicable and scientific than de facto method
 For this type of census operation census period is define and counting of population is
completed within this period
 The period taken is generally 2 or 3 weeks.
 Difficulty to collect information regarding to the person whose usual place of
residence is differ from permanent place of residence.

Modified de jure method

 In order to avoid the limitation of both methods mentioned above the third has been
develop as modified de jure method
 In this method census is performed on the basis of usual place of residence.
 Nepal has also applied it as a method of census since 1952/54 A.D.
 Instead of taking census on the basis of permanent residence, usual place of residence
of 6 months and over is considered in this method

Information included in census are;

1. Geographical characteristic -usual place of residence -place of birth -duration of

residence in current place -place of work
2. Economic characteristics -occupation -industry -employment -source of livelihood
3. Personal and household characteristics -age - sex -marital status -cast -language -
religion -citizenship -literacy -relationship to the head of household -number of live
birth -number of children alive -age at first marriage

Features of census

 National data bank for, age, sex, occupation, religion, caste and other data 
Conducted by government body only
 Within fix time interval (in every 10 years)
 Data are based on individual counting
 Based on de facto, de jure and modified de jure method
 Conducted in a fixed period (up to two weeks for de jure and modified de jure)

Importance of census

 Availability of national level data for socioeconomic and planning

 Basis for demographic and other survey
 Source of internationally comparable data
 Needed for every sector of development
 Useful in population projection
 Researchers, educators, NGOs use its data for different purpose
Limitations of census

 Expensive task and need large number of manpower

 Takes time to process the data and publication of final monograph
 No current data for intercensus period, in 2017 also we are using 2011census data.

NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY

Introduction

The National Family Health Survey is a survey carried out on a massive scale across the
country to collect information on many parameters which would ultimately help the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) to frame policies and programs to help in the
upliftment of the vulnerable groups in India. The first round of the National Family Health
Survey was conducted in 1992-92. Subsequently, four other rounds have taken place, the
latest being NFHS 5 that started in 2018-19, however, is stalled currently amid the COVID-
19 associated lockdown at various states.
MOHFW has appointed International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as the
Nodal agency. IIPS has collaborated with the following international agencies for the
successful conduct of the survey. 

Goal of NFHS

Each successive round of the NFHS has had two specific goals:
a) To provide essential data on health and family welfare needed by the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare and other agencies for policy and programme purposes,
b) to provide information on important emerging health and family welfare issues.
c) NFHS- will provide updates and evidence of trends in key population, health and
nutrition indicators, including HIV prevalence. Moreover, the survey will cover a
range of health-related issues, including fertility, infant and child mortality, maternal
and child health, perinatal mortality, adolescent reproductive health, high-risk sexual
behaviour, safe injections, tuberculosis, and malaria, non- communicable diseases,
domestic violence, HIV knowledge, and attitudes toward people living with HIV.

National Family Health Survey Objectives

The Objective of conducting the NFHS is to collect information of the following

 Fertility
 Maternal and Child Health
 Reproductive Health
 Nutrition
 Anaemia
 Infant and Child Mortality
 Family Planning
Agencies which provided funding for NFHS

Many international agencies and the Central Government Ministry have provided the
necessary funds to carry out the survey.

 United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
 MOHFW, Government of India

National Family Health Survey Rounds

Totally five rounds of survey have been conducted to date. The below information gives
details on the round and the year it was conducted.

1. First Round of NFHS conducted in 1992-93

2. Second Round of NFHS conducted in 1998-99
3. Third Round of NFHS conducted in 2005-06
4. Fourth Round of NFHS conducted in 2015-16
5. Fifth Round of NFHS conducted in 2018-19

 NFHS 1- The First National Family Health Survey was conducted in 1992-93. The
survey collected extensive information on population, health, and nutrition, with an
emphasis on women and young children. Eighteen Population Research Centres
(PRCs), located in universities and institutes of national repute, assisted IIPS in all
stages of conducting NFHS-1. All the state-level and national-level reports for the
survey have already been published (48 reports in all). NFHS is a nationally
representative survey of ever-married women age 13-49. The NFHS covered the
population of 24 States and the National Capital Territory of Delhi to provide
demographic and health data for interstate comparisons. The main objectives of the
survey was to collect reliable and up-to-date national-level and state-level data on
fertility, nuptiality, fertility preferences, knowledge and practice of family planning,
the potential demand for contraception, the level of unwanted fertility, utilization of
ante natal services, breast feeding and food supplementation practices, child nutrition
and health,vaccinations.

 NFHS 2- The Second National Family Health Survey was conducted in 1998-99 in all
26 states of India with added features on the quality of health and family planning
services, domestic violence, reproductive health, anemia, the nutrition of women, and
the status of women. The results of the survey are currently being published.

 NFHS 3- The Third National Family Health Survey  was carried out in 2005-2006.
Eighteen Research Organizations including five Population Research Centres carried
out the survey in 29 states of India. The funding for NFHS-3 is provided by USAID,
DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, UNFPA, and MOHFW,
 GOI. ORC Macro, USA, is providing technical assistance for NFHS-3, and the
National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the National AIDS Research
Institute (NARI) are providing technical assistance for the HIV component. The 2005-
2006 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the third in the NFHS series of
surveys, provides information on population, health and nutrition in India and each of
its 29 states. The survey is based on a sample of households which is representative at
the national and state levels. NFHS-3 provides trend data on key indicators and
includes information on several new topics, such as HIV/AIDS-related behaviour and
the health of slum populations. For the first time, NFHS-3 also provides information
on men and unmarried women. In addition, HIV prevalence is measured at the
national level and for selected states. This fact sheet presents provisional information
on key indicators and trends at the national level. The NFHS-3 fieldwork was
conducted by 18 research organizations between December 2005 and August 2006.
 NFHS 4- Like its predecessors, NFHS-4 conducted under the stewardship of the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, coordinated by the International Institute for
Population Sciences, Mumbai, and implemented by a group of survey organizations
and Population Research Centres, following a rigorous selection procedure. Technical
assistance for NFHS-4 will again be provided by ICF International, USA with the
major financial support from the United States Agency for International Development
and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
In addition to the 29 states, NFHS-4 will also include all six union territories for the
first time and will also provide estimates of most indicators at the district level for all
640 districts in the country as per the 2011 census. NFHS-4 sample size is expected to
be approximately 568,200 households, up from about 109,000 households in NFHS-3.
This is expected to yield a total sample of 625,014 women and 93,065 men eligible
for the interview. In these households information on 265,653 children below age 5
will be collected in the survey. Data will be collected using Computer Assisted
Personal Interviewing (CAPI) on mini-notebook computers.
NFHS- will provide updates and evidence of trends in key population, health and
nutrition indicators, including HIV prevalence. Moreover, the survey will cover a
range of health-related issues, including fertility, infant and child mortality, maternal
and child health, perinatal mortality, adolescent reproductive health, high-risk sexual
behaviour, safe injections, tuberculosis, and malaria, non-communicable diseases,
domestic violence, HIV knowledge, and attitudes toward people living with HIV. The
information will enable the GOI to provide national and international agencies to
monitor and evaluate policies and programmes related to population, health, nutrition,
and HIV/AIDS.
 NFHS 5- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has National Family Health
Survey (NFHS) 2019-20 report
Key findings of the survey
 As per the phase-I of the survey, several states across the country have reversed
course and recorded worsening levels of child malnutrition despite dramatic
improvements in sanitation and better access to fuel and drinking water 
 It marks a shift since the last NFHS in 2015-16.
 The NFHS 2019-20 data of first phase pertains to 17 states including Maharashtra,
Bihar, and West Bengal and five Union Territories (including J&K) 
 The survey captures the state of health in these states before the Covid pandemic
 Phase 2 of the survey, which will cover other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and
Madhya Pradesh, was delayed due to the pandemic and its results are expected to be
made available in May 2021.
 Meagre improvements: The new survey shows that several states have either
witnessed meagre improvements or sustained reversals on child (under 5 years of age)
malnutrition parameters such as child stunting; child wasting; share of children
underweight and child mortality rate.
 Child stunting: child stunting reflects chronic undernutrition and refers to the
percentage of children who have low height for their age.
 Child wasting: Child wasting reflects acute undernutrition and refers to
children having low weight for their height. 
 Infant mortality rate: It is the number of deaths per 1000 live births for
children under the age of 1
 Child wasting: States such as Telangana, Kerala, Bihar, and Assam as well as the UT
of J&K have witnessed an increase in Child wasting. Others like Maharashtra and
West Bengal have been stagnant on this
 Underweight children: Several big states, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal,
Telangana, Assam and Kerala, have seen an increase.
 Child stunting: Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal — all saw
increased levels of child stunting
 Infant Mortality Rate: Under 5 mortality was observed to be 74 deaths per 1,000
births in NFHS-3, and 50 deaths per 1,000 births in NFHS-4, a decline of about 33%
over 10 years. NFHS-5 and NFHS-4 are about five years apart, but we are seeing very
little progress in many states. 
 In Maharashtra, the under-5 mortality rate is basically the same in NFHS-4 and 5, and
in Bihar, it reduced by just 3% over five years
 According to a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research
Institute, over 60 per cent of child mortality is explained by poor nutrition. In other
words, child malnutrition is the central problem.
 According to the Ministry, the contents of NFHS-5 are similar to NFHS-4 to allow
comparisons over time. The NFHS-5, however, includes some new topics, such as
preschool education, disability, access to a toilet facility, death registration, bathing
practices during menstruation, and methods and reasons for abortion.
Bibliography
 https://www.questionpro.com/blog/what-is-research/
 https://www.slideshare.net/Anjusapkota/census-81891986
 https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/national-family-health-survey/
 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-20 - JournalsOfIndia