DEMOGRAPHIC METHODS

INTRODUCTION
DEMOGRAPHY
Demography is a combination of two Greek words demos and graphy i.e.
Demography=demos +graphy.

➢ Demos means life and graphy means descriptions.

➢ The study where descriptions of human life are discussed in detail can be considered
demography. It was first used in 1885 by Belgian statisticians.
Demography is the science of the population that examines:
1. The size and composition of the population according to diverse criteria: age, sex unions
(marital or cohabiting) status, educational attainment spatial distribution, and so forth;
2. Dynamic life course processes that change this composition: birth, death unions,
migration, etc, and
3. Relationship between population composition and change, and the broader social and
physical environment in which they exist.
Demographic Process The demographic process is a sequence of changes that occur in a
population due to the interplay of demographic events. Ratios The relation of two non-
overlapping groups of the population possessing some common characteristic; obtained when
one subgroup is divided by another.
For example, the two numbers X and Y are distinct, but both come from the same universe of
population.
Sex ratio in the population= X/Y *100 = Number of males/Number of females *100.
Child women ratio = Number of children aged 0-4/Number of females aged 15-44 *100.

The main sources of demographic data are:

 Census
 Administrative Records.
 Ad hoc survey
 Register

They are part of an integrated program of statistical data collection and compilation, and
together they provide a comprehensive source of information for policy formulation,
development planning, administrative purposes, research, commercial products, and other
uses.
 CENSUS
 
 A population census is a total process of collecting, compiling, evaluating, analyzing,
and publishing or otherwise disseminating demographic, economic, and social data
pertaining, at a specified time, to all persons in a country or in a well-delimited part of
a country. The census collects data from each individual and each set of living
quarters for the whole country or area.

 It allows estimates to be produced for small geographic areas and for population
subgroups. It also provides the base population figures needed to calculate vital rates
from civil registration data, and it supplies the sampling frame for sample surveys.

 The steps in planning a census include:

 Political support, and funding
 Mapping and listing all households.
 Planning and printing questionnaires, and instruction manuals.
 Planning for shipping census materials.
 Recruiting and training census personnel organizing field operations
 Launching publicity campaigns
 Preparing for data processing
 Planning for tabulation, production, and dissemination of census results.

CENSUS COLLECTION DISADVANTAGES AND COMPLETE/SAMPLE

ENUMERATION.

The cost and the limited number of questions that can be included in the questionnaire are the
main disadvantages of a population and housing census, so many countries carry out sample
enumeration in conjunction with the census to collect more detailed information on a separate
(longer) questionnaire, often referred to as the “long form”.
Collecting additional topics from a sample of the population or households during the census
operation is a cost-effective way to broaden the scope of the census to meet the increasing
and expanded needs for demographic and social statistics. 
 The use of sampling makes it feasible to produce urgently needed data with acceptable
precision when factors of time and cost would make it impractical to obtain such data from a
complete enumeration.   

Census complete enumeration

  Complete enumeration is the main feature of a census. It refers to the study of every unit,
everyone or everything, in a population. Any census must collect data on certain topics on a 100-
percent basis.  However, as mentioned earlier, many countries employ both complete and
sample enumeration in a census.  In a complete enumeration, it is often difficult to institute
and manage successful quality control measures, even if various techniques have been put in
place and many census workers are involved.  
 Countries that do not carry out a census sample enumeration should include basic
demographic characteristics, education, economic activity and fertility and mortality
questions in their census questionnaire. The minimum set of population topics, in addition to
name and relationship to head or other member of household, that could be collected in the
complete enumeration are: sex, age, marital status, citizenship, place of usual residence, place
of birth, school attendance, educational attainment, activity status, occupation, industry, status
of employment, children ever born and children living. 

Census sample enumeration

A sample is a subset of units in a population, selected to represent all units in a population of
interest. It is a partial enumeration because it is a count of part of the population. Information
from the sampled units is used to estimate the characteristics for the entire population of
interest. 
 Carrying out sample enumeration helps us collect data on additional topics and ask more
detailed questions using a long form.    Depending on the need and ability of countries to
include other information in the short form, basic economic and social characteristics may
also be included in both forms, like school attendance, educational attainment, economic
activity, place of birth, etc.
 The number and type of items that should be covered also depends on many factors
including balance considerations.  Using a smaller number of enumerators who are better
qualified and better trained will enable census organizations to carry out closer supervision
and tighter quality control, which in the end should produce higher-quality data.
  
In India, the Census is recorded every 10 years and has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021.
The first year’s complete census was taken in 1881.
Post-1949, it has been conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of
India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
 ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS
 Another important data source that is commonly used in many countries is administrative
records.  The statistics compiled from various administrative processes can be very valuable
to the overall national statistical system.  Many social statistics are produced as a by-product
of these administrative processes—for example

 Education statistics from periodic reports by the Ministry of Education.

 Health statistics from periodic reports based on hospital records.
 Employment statistics compiled from employment extension services and so forth.

Here are some examples of how administrative records are used for demographics:

Voter Registration: Administrative records, such as voter registration databases, are used to
collect demographic information about eligible voters. This data helps analyze voting
patterns, assess political representation, and study electoral demographics.

Social Services and Benefits: Administrative records are utilized to determine eligibility and
administer social services and benefits programs. They provide information about individuals'
income, household composition, and other demographic factors to ensure appropriate
allocation of resources.

Education Planning: Administrative records in the education sector help monitor student
enrollment, track educational progress, and assess educational outcomes. They provide data
on student demographics, such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.

Healthcare Planning: Administrative records in healthcare, such as health insurance

databases, can offer valuable demographic information about patients. This data is used to
assess healthcare utilization, plan for healthcare services, and study health disparities across
different population groups.

Employment and Labor Market Analysis: Administrative records, including tax records and
unemployment data, provide insights into the labor market. They help analyze employment
trends, income distribution, and workforce demographics.

Transportation Planning: Administrative records related to transportation, such as driver's

license data and vehicle registration information, assist in demographic analysis for
transportation planning purposes. This data helps identify commuting patterns, transportation
needs, and infrastructure requirements.
 
  The reliability of the statistics depends upon the completeness of the administrative
recording process and the completeness of the reporting system.  It is very important to
continuously monitor and improve the system of recording, reporting and compiling for
producing such statistics since they constitute complementary sources of data to those
obtained from censuses and surveys. 
 

Disadvantages of Administrative Records:

 
 In many developing countries, while administrative records for various social
programs can be a very cost-effective data source, they are not well developed,
resulting in the unreliability of the data produced.
  They are often limited in content and their uses are restricted for legal or
administrative purposes.  
 They do not usually have the adaptability of household surveys or censuses from the
standpoint of concepts or subject detail.  Sources of these kinds are often incomplete,
inconsistent, or limited in their coverage, and in many fields, such as health
conditions, nutrition, or household expenditures, appropriate administrative records
are not available.  
 Administrative records often focus on the individual and do not provide any
information on the household or family, limiting the analytical usefulness of the data.

AD HOC SURVEY

AD HOC survey for demographics means conducting a one-time or specific survey aimed at
gathering demographic information about a particular population or group of individuals. The
purpose of such a survey is to collect data about the demographic characteristics of a specific
population of interest.

In an ad hoc survey for demographics, the survey questions and design will focus on
gathering information such as age, gender, ethnicity, education level, income, marital status,
occupation, and other relevant demographic variables. The survey may include both closed-
ended questions with predefined response options (e.g., checkboxes, radio buttons) and open-
ended questions that allow respondents to provide more detailed or specific information.

The collected demographic data can then be used for various purposes, such as:

1. Research
2. Planning and Policy Development.
3. Market Research.
4. Program Evaluation

In order to conduct an ad-hoc survey, the following steps are administered:

1. Determination of survey objectives.
2. Identification of target audience.
3. Choosing a survey method: It could be an online survey using platforms like Google Forms
or SurveyMonkey, phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, or paper-based surveys.
4. Designing survey questions.
Examples of Sample survey questions for India are:
- How would you rate the current state of the economy in India?
- Which social media platform do you use most frequently?
- What is your preferred mode of transportation for daily commuting?
- Are you satisfied with the healthcare services provided in your area?
- How concerned are you about climate change?
5. Testing the survey.
6. Distribution of the survey.
7. Analysing and interpreting the data.

REGISTRATION METHOD.

The registration method consists of a continuous and permanent recording of vital events pertaining to
births, deaths, marriages, migration, etc. These data, in addition to their statistical utility, also have
their value as legal documents.
Registration of births provides information on the place of birth, sex, age and religion of the parents,
legitimacy, number of previous issues and their sexes, father's occupation and the birthplace of
parents.
Similarly, death registration furnishes information on the place of death, sex, age, marital status,
number of issues, birthplace, occupation, and cause of death.
Similar information is also obtained with respect to marriages and migrants. Many countries require
compulsory registration of births and deaths under the law. For example, every new birth has to be
reported to the authorities along with the information as given above. Similarly, the death of a person
is automatically recorded since the disposal of the body requires an appropriate death certificate from
the authorities.

Shortcomings of the Registration Method.

 In India, in rural areas there is no legislation which makes the registration of vital events
(births, deaths, marriages) and reporting of epidemics compulsory and the requisite
information is collected by village Patils under the administrative orders of the government.
Consequently, a number of births are likely to remain unregistered especially in scattered
rural areas.
  Even in municipal areas where registration is compulsory, the laws in respect of registration
vary from State to State.
 Thus, in India, the statistics of births suffer from the error of underestimation as pointed out
in Census of India paper 6, 1954, published by Registrar General of India. "The registration
of births is non-existent in some parts of the country and incomplete in varying degrees in all
parts of the country. Hence statistics of births suffer from errors of underestimation".
 Similarly in the registration of deaths, the data regarding age at death, cause of the death, etc.,
are usually unreliable.
 Due to the non-availability of qualified doctors in villages and interior rural areas, quite often
the disease and consequently the cause of death remains undiagnosed. Moreover, people have
a general tendency to withhold information regarding their diseases, particularly in respect of
infectious or contagious diseases.
 Moreover, in our country there are no proper records about the ages of mothers at the time of
marriage, at the birth of the first child, and of subsequent children. Hence, we do not get any
reliable data in respect of marriages for the whole of the country.

To ensure a continuous permanent recording of vital events suitable legislation, uniform all over the
country, should be introduced, making the registration of births, deaths, marriages, etc., compulsory.
Such legislation should also provide sanctions for the enforcement of the obligation. Separate
organizations should be set up to collect this data more completely and systematically.
 INDEX

SERIAL TOPIC PAGE REMARKS

NUMBER NUMBER
1 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 1

2 DEMOGRAPHY INTRODUCTION 2

3 CENSUS 3-4

4 ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS 5-6

5 AD HOC SURVEY 6-7

6 REGISTRATION METHOD. 7-8

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 9