Living Standards Survey 2003-2004
Nepal, 2003 - 2004
Created on
Apr 25, 2019
Last modified
Apr 25, 2019
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Identification
Survey ID Number
NPL_2003_LSS-II_v01_M
Title
Living Standards Survey 2003-2004
Subtitle
Second Round
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Nepal | NPL |
Study type
Living Standards Measurement Study [hh/lsms]
Series Information
This is the second Living Standards Survey (NLSS II ) conducted in Nepal and it is partially panel with the first Living Standards Survey (NLSS I) which was conducted in 1995/1996.
Abstract
Nepal Living Standards Survey II 2003/2004 (NLSS II) is the second multi-topic national household survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) from April 2003 to April 2004. As a follow up to the first NLSS of 1995/96 (NLSS I), the main objective of the NLSS II was to track changes in living standards and social indicators of Nepalese population between 1995/96 and 2003/2004. The survey provides information on the different aspects of households' welfare (consumption, income, housing, labor markets, education, health etc.). NLSS II data are largely comparable to the NLSS I data and follows the methodology of the Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) developed by the World Bank.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
- Households
- Individuals
- Communities
- Individuals
- Communities
Scope
Notes
HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE
- Household Information: Ethnicity, demographic characteristics and identification of household members, information on parents of household members and economic activities undertaken and unemployment/under-employment status of household members 5 years and older.
- Housing: Types of dwelling, housing expenses, expenditure on utilities and amenities and collection of firewood.
- Access to Facilities: Distance of 15 kinds of different public services/facilities from the household's residence.
- Migration: Migration and its determinants for all household members 5 years and older.
- Food Expenses and Home Production: Consumption and expenditures of 68 food items. The monthly consumption of home production, monthly expenses on purchase and annual value of in-kind receipts of foods were included with the reference period of past 12 months.
- Non-food Expenditures and Inventory of Durable Goods: Frequent expenditures (fuels, clothing, day-to-day consumption expenses, etc.) and infrequent non-food expenditures (taxes, ceremonial expenses, durable goods expenses, etc.), valuation of inventory of durable goods and own account production of goods.
- Education: Literacy and educational status of all household members 5 years and older. Schooling/level of educational attainment, past enrollment/drop outs, current enrollment and educational expenditures were captured under this section.
- Health: Chronic and acute illnesses, uses of medical facilities, expenditures on them, familiarity with HIV/AIDS, treatment of children under 5 years with diarrhea and immunization.
- Marriage and Maternity History: Maternity history of all ever married women aged 15-49 who had given live birth, pre- and post-natal care of all women who had given live birth during the past 36 months and marriage and family planning practices of all currently married women aged 15-49 years.
- Wage Employment: Wage employment in agriculture and outside agriculture for all persons 5 years and older with activities and income on daily, long term and contract bases.
- Farming and Livestock: Agricultural activities like landholding (land owned, land sharecropped/rented/mortgaged–in, increase/decrease in holdings), production and uses of crops, expenditures on agricultural inputs (seeds and young plants, fertilizers and insecticides, hiring labour) earnings/expenditures of farming, ownership of livestock, earnings/expenditures of livestock, and ownership of farming assets and extension services.
- Non-agricultural Enterprises/Activities: Self employed non-agricultural enterprises and activities such as their types/operation and income/expenditures of the enterprises.
- Credit and Savings: Loans borrowed by the household or any outstanding transaction on borrowing during the reference period, loans owed to others by household or any outstanding transaction on lending during the reference period and other assets (land, property and other fixed assets) owned by the household.
- Remittances and Transfers: Remittances sent from the household members to others including recipient's activities and remittances received by members of the household from others including donor's work activities.
- Other Income: Income from all other sources (especially on financial assets) not covered elsewhere in the questionnaire.
- Children Away from Home: Children (currently non-household members) under 15 years who were away from home including their parents' situation, education, work activities, etc.
- Adequacy of Consumption and Government Services/Facilities: Households' opinion on their standards of living and the standards of government services/facilities that the households consuming.
- Panel Sample Household Tracking: Tracking of the panel households visited in 1995/96 (NLSS I) including their movements if not found, their composition in 1995/96 and situation of both current and the then household members.
URBAN COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the community, status of electricity supply, water supply and sewerage system in the ward.
- Access to Facilities: Distance from the community to various places and public facilities and services.
- Markets and Prices: Availability and prices of different food and non food commodities in the local shops/markets.
- Quality of Life: Quality of welfare items compared to their status 5 years ago.
RURAL COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the community, status of electricity supply, water supply and sewerage system in the ward.
- Access to Facilities: Services and amenities, education status and health facilities existing in the VDC of the enumeration area.
- Agriculture and Forestry: Land situation, irrigation systems, and crop cycles, wages paid to hired labour, rental rates for cattle and machinery and use of forestry.
- Migration: Main migratory movements out and in the community.
- Development Programmes, User Groups and Quality of Life: Development programmes, existing user groups and quality of life in the community.
- Rural Primary School: Educational enrollment and infrastructure and supplies in the community.
- Rural Health Facilities: Health facilities, equipment and services available and health personnel in the community.
- Markets and Prices: Local shops, Haat bazaar, availability and prices of different goods in local shops/Haat bazaar, agricultural inputs and conversion of local units into standard units.
- Household Information: Ethnicity, demographic characteristics and identification of household members, information on parents of household members and economic activities undertaken and unemployment/under-employment status of household members 5 years and older.
- Housing: Types of dwelling, housing expenses, expenditure on utilities and amenities and collection of firewood.
- Access to Facilities: Distance of 15 kinds of different public services/facilities from the household's residence.
- Migration: Migration and its determinants for all household members 5 years and older.
- Food Expenses and Home Production: Consumption and expenditures of 68 food items. The monthly consumption of home production, monthly expenses on purchase and annual value of in-kind receipts of foods were included with the reference period of past 12 months.
- Non-food Expenditures and Inventory of Durable Goods: Frequent expenditures (fuels, clothing, day-to-day consumption expenses, etc.) and infrequent non-food expenditures (taxes, ceremonial expenses, durable goods expenses, etc.), valuation of inventory of durable goods and own account production of goods.
- Education: Literacy and educational status of all household members 5 years and older. Schooling/level of educational attainment, past enrollment/drop outs, current enrollment and educational expenditures were captured under this section.
- Health: Chronic and acute illnesses, uses of medical facilities, expenditures on them, familiarity with HIV/AIDS, treatment of children under 5 years with diarrhea and immunization.
- Marriage and Maternity History: Maternity history of all ever married women aged 15-49 who had given live birth, pre- and post-natal care of all women who had given live birth during the past 36 months and marriage and family planning practices of all currently married women aged 15-49 years.
- Wage Employment: Wage employment in agriculture and outside agriculture for all persons 5 years and older with activities and income on daily, long term and contract bases.
- Farming and Livestock: Agricultural activities like landholding (land owned, land sharecropped/rented/mortgaged–in, increase/decrease in holdings), production and uses of crops, expenditures on agricultural inputs (seeds and young plants, fertilizers and insecticides, hiring labour) earnings/expenditures of farming, ownership of livestock, earnings/expenditures of livestock, and ownership of farming assets and extension services.
- Non-agricultural Enterprises/Activities: Self employed non-agricultural enterprises and activities such as their types/operation and income/expenditures of the enterprises.
- Credit and Savings: Loans borrowed by the household or any outstanding transaction on borrowing during the reference period, loans owed to others by household or any outstanding transaction on lending during the reference period and other assets (land, property and other fixed assets) owned by the household.
- Remittances and Transfers: Remittances sent from the household members to others including recipient's activities and remittances received by members of the household from others including donor's work activities.
- Other Income: Income from all other sources (especially on financial assets) not covered elsewhere in the questionnaire.
- Children Away from Home: Children (currently non-household members) under 15 years who were away from home including their parents' situation, education, work activities, etc.
- Adequacy of Consumption and Government Services/Facilities: Households' opinion on their standards of living and the standards of government services/facilities that the households consuming.
- Panel Sample Household Tracking: Tracking of the panel households visited in 1995/96 (NLSS I) including their movements if not found, their composition in 1995/96 and situation of both current and the then household members.
URBAN COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the community, status of electricity supply, water supply and sewerage system in the ward.
- Access to Facilities: Distance from the community to various places and public facilities and services.
- Markets and Prices: Availability and prices of different food and non food commodities in the local shops/markets.
- Quality of Life: Quality of welfare items compared to their status 5 years ago.
RURAL COMMUNITY QUESTIONNAIRE
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the community, status of electricity supply, water supply and sewerage system in the ward.
- Access to Facilities: Services and amenities, education status and health facilities existing in the VDC of the enumeration area.
- Agriculture and Forestry: Land situation, irrigation systems, and crop cycles, wages paid to hired labour, rental rates for cattle and machinery and use of forestry.
- Migration: Main migratory movements out and in the community.
- Development Programmes, User Groups and Quality of Life: Development programmes, existing user groups and quality of life in the community.
- Rural Primary School: Educational enrollment and infrastructure and supplies in the community.
- Rural Health Facilities: Health facilities, equipment and services available and health personnel in the community.
- Markets and Prices: Local shops, Haat bazaar, availability and prices of different goods in local shops/Haat bazaar, agricultural inputs and conversion of local units into standard units.
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National
Domains: Urban/rural; ecological zones (Mountains, Kathmandu Valley (urban), Hills (urban), Hills (rural), Tarai (urban), Tarai (rural)).
Domains: Urban/rural; ecological zones (Mountains, Kathmandu Valley (urban), Hills (urban), Hills (rural), Tarai (urban), Tarai (rural)).
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) | National Planning Commission Secretariat |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| The World Bank | Technical assistance |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
SAMPLE DESIGN
The sampling design of the NLSS II included two components. The first one was nationally representative random cross-section sample of 4008 households from six explicit strata of the country. The second one was panel sample of 1232 households drawn from those households interviewed in NLSS I.
SAMPLE FRAME
The 2001 Population Census of Nepal provided a basis for this survey's sample frame. The size of each ward (as measured by number of households) was taken as a unit of sample frame. Some larger ards were divided into smaller units (sub-wards) of clearly defined territorial areas supported by reliable cartography while some of the smaller wards with fewer than 20 households were appended to neighbouring wards in the same VDC. The resulting sampling frame consisted of 36,067 enumeration areas (wards or sub-wards) spread over 3 ecological zones, 5 development regions, 75 districts, 58 Municipalities and 3,914 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of the country. The sample frame was sorted by district, VDC, ward and sub-ward and districts were numbered from geographical East to West.
The three ecological zones are Mountains in the north (altitude 4877 to 8848 meters), Hills in the middle (altitude 610 to 4876 meters) and Tarai in the south. Mountains make up 35 percent of total land area of the country, while Hills and Tarai 42 percent and 23 percent respectively.
STRATIFICATION
The design of the cross-section part of NLSS II was similar to that of the NLSS I. The total sample size (4,008 households) was selected in two stages: 12 households in each of 334 Primary Sampling Units. The sample of 334 PSUs was selected from six strata using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling with the number of households as a measure of size. The numbers are all multiples of 12 with the intention of implementing a two-stage selection strategy with that many households per PSU in the second stage. Within each PSU, 12 households were selected by systematic sampling from the total number of households listed.
The NLSS II cross-section sample was allocated into six explicit strata as follows: Mountains (408 households in 34 PSUs), Kathmandu valley urban area (408 households in 34 PSUs), Other Urban areas in the Hills (336 households in 28 PSUs), Rural Hills (1,224 households in 102 PSUs), Urban Tarai (408 households in 34 PSUs) and Rural Tarai (1,224 households in 102 PSUs). The NLSS II panel sample is composed of 100 of the 275 PSUs visited by the NLSS I in 1995/96. The panel PSUs were selected with equal probability within each of the four strata defined by NLSS I, as follows: 12 (out of 33) in the Mountains, 18 (out of 50) in the Urban Hills, 33 (out of 92) in the Rural Hills and 37 (out of 100) in the Tarai.
In NLSS I, the strata were composed of Mountains (424 households), Urban Hills (604 households), Rural Hills (1,136 households) and Tarai (1,224 households). The sampling frame was taken from the Population Census 1991.
CARTOGRAPHIC UPDATING AND HOUSEHOLD LISTING
The NLSS II cartographic updating was conducted between December 2001 and May 2002. There were 334 PSUs from the cross-sectional sample where listing operation provided a precise and up to date measure of households in each PSU. The 235 PSUs contained 400 or fewer households while 99 PSUs had larger than 400 households according to the 2001 Population Census. Those PSUs with more than 400 households were segmented into smaller units containing 150-200 households by means of a cartographic updating operation. The operation defined territorial boundaries for the segments within the PSUs and established a rough measure of the size of each segment based on a quick count of dwellings. One of the segments was then selected randomly with PPS in each PSU, and a complete household listing was conducted in that segment. A new cartographic updating was needed for 59 of the large PSUs since some of the large PSUs corresponded to wards that had already been segmented in 1995 as a part of the NLSS I operations. This updating included verification of the boundaries and quick count of dwellings.
A complete household listing operation was undertaken in all cross-section PSUs during March-May of 2002, about a year prior to the survey. The information collected in the listing included dwelling/household serial number, name of the village/settlement, block number, name and nickname (if any) of the household head, household size and name of the landlord when the housing unit was rented. The cover page for listing was designed to furnish information on the language spoken, the mode of transport and the traveling time to reach the selected ward/sub-ward/segment. This was utilized while preparing schedules of fieldwork. There were 25 teams for listing operation and each team consisted of two enumerators. Field-based 32 enumerators were selected from CBS and Branch Statistical Offices (BSOs) while the rest 18 were hired on contract from outside Kathmandu for listing operation in the selected PSUs under the separate component of the project named "Listing and Cartography Work for NLSS II". Two day training was conducted on listing procedure for the enumerators outside of Kathmandu at Biratnagar (East), Hetaunda (Central) and Nepalgunj (West). Because of insurgency in different parts of the country, listing operation in 10 PSUs could not be completed during the specified period but was completed later.
The sampling design of the NLSS II included two components. The first one was nationally representative random cross-section sample of 4008 households from six explicit strata of the country. The second one was panel sample of 1232 households drawn from those households interviewed in NLSS I.
SAMPLE FRAME
The 2001 Population Census of Nepal provided a basis for this survey's sample frame. The size of each ward (as measured by number of households) was taken as a unit of sample frame. Some larger ards were divided into smaller units (sub-wards) of clearly defined territorial areas supported by reliable cartography while some of the smaller wards with fewer than 20 households were appended to neighbouring wards in the same VDC. The resulting sampling frame consisted of 36,067 enumeration areas (wards or sub-wards) spread over 3 ecological zones, 5 development regions, 75 districts, 58 Municipalities and 3,914 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of the country. The sample frame was sorted by district, VDC, ward and sub-ward and districts were numbered from geographical East to West.
The three ecological zones are Mountains in the north (altitude 4877 to 8848 meters), Hills in the middle (altitude 610 to 4876 meters) and Tarai in the south. Mountains make up 35 percent of total land area of the country, while Hills and Tarai 42 percent and 23 percent respectively.
STRATIFICATION
The design of the cross-section part of NLSS II was similar to that of the NLSS I. The total sample size (4,008 households) was selected in two stages: 12 households in each of 334 Primary Sampling Units. The sample of 334 PSUs was selected from six strata using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling with the number of households as a measure of size. The numbers are all multiples of 12 with the intention of implementing a two-stage selection strategy with that many households per PSU in the second stage. Within each PSU, 12 households were selected by systematic sampling from the total number of households listed.
The NLSS II cross-section sample was allocated into six explicit strata as follows: Mountains (408 households in 34 PSUs), Kathmandu valley urban area (408 households in 34 PSUs), Other Urban areas in the Hills (336 households in 28 PSUs), Rural Hills (1,224 households in 102 PSUs), Urban Tarai (408 households in 34 PSUs) and Rural Tarai (1,224 households in 102 PSUs). The NLSS II panel sample is composed of 100 of the 275 PSUs visited by the NLSS I in 1995/96. The panel PSUs were selected with equal probability within each of the four strata defined by NLSS I, as follows: 12 (out of 33) in the Mountains, 18 (out of 50) in the Urban Hills, 33 (out of 92) in the Rural Hills and 37 (out of 100) in the Tarai.
In NLSS I, the strata were composed of Mountains (424 households), Urban Hills (604 households), Rural Hills (1,136 households) and Tarai (1,224 households). The sampling frame was taken from the Population Census 1991.
CARTOGRAPHIC UPDATING AND HOUSEHOLD LISTING
The NLSS II cartographic updating was conducted between December 2001 and May 2002. There were 334 PSUs from the cross-sectional sample where listing operation provided a precise and up to date measure of households in each PSU. The 235 PSUs contained 400 or fewer households while 99 PSUs had larger than 400 households according to the 2001 Population Census. Those PSUs with more than 400 households were segmented into smaller units containing 150-200 households by means of a cartographic updating operation. The operation defined territorial boundaries for the segments within the PSUs and established a rough measure of the size of each segment based on a quick count of dwellings. One of the segments was then selected randomly with PPS in each PSU, and a complete household listing was conducted in that segment. A new cartographic updating was needed for 59 of the large PSUs since some of the large PSUs corresponded to wards that had already been segmented in 1995 as a part of the NLSS I operations. This updating included verification of the boundaries and quick count of dwellings.
A complete household listing operation was undertaken in all cross-section PSUs during March-May of 2002, about a year prior to the survey. The information collected in the listing included dwelling/household serial number, name of the village/settlement, block number, name and nickname (if any) of the household head, household size and name of the landlord when the housing unit was rented. The cover page for listing was designed to furnish information on the language spoken, the mode of transport and the traveling time to reach the selected ward/sub-ward/segment. This was utilized while preparing schedules of fieldwork. There were 25 teams for listing operation and each team consisted of two enumerators. Field-based 32 enumerators were selected from CBS and Branch Statistical Offices (BSOs) while the rest 18 were hired on contract from outside Kathmandu for listing operation in the selected PSUs under the separate component of the project named "Listing and Cartography Work for NLSS II". Two day training was conducted on listing procedure for the enumerators outside of Kathmandu at Biratnagar (East), Hetaunda (Central) and Nepalgunj (West). Because of insurgency in different parts of the country, listing operation in 10 PSUs could not be completed during the specified period but was completed later.
Deviations from the Sample Design
Some conflict-affected areas especially in the rural areas posed a great challenge for the CBS to conduct such an integrated household survey. The interviewers were on high alert in these areas, kept themselves in a very low profile, and in many instances were assisted by th e local people. 12 PSUs could not be enumerated even after repeated attempts.
Altogether 133 rural enumeration areas (PSUs) could not be interviewed constituting 8 from the crosssection and 5 from the panel sample. The missing PSUs include 2 from Central Hills, 2 from Mid Western Mountains, 2 from Far Western Mountains, 6 from Far Western Hills and 1 from Far Western Tarai.
Altogether 133 rural enumeration areas (PSUs) could not be interviewed constituting 8 from the crosssection and 5 from the panel sample. The missing PSUs include 2 from Central Hills, 2 from Mid Western Mountains, 2 from Far Western Mountains, 6 from Far Western Hills and 1 from Far Western Tarai.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2003-04 | 2004-04 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collection Notes
FIELDWORK ORGANIZATION
The NLSS project activities were led by the Projector Coordinator and Head of the Household Survey Section (HSS) under the general guidance of the Director General of the CBS. A core team was formed at the central level and constituted the Director General, Deputy Director General, Deputy Directors of Social Statistics Division and Statistical Officers of the Household Survey Section. These activities were directed and guided by the Advisory and Technical Committee meetings especially on questionnaire design, data collection in the field and analysis of the results.
SELECTION OF FIELD STAFF AND TRAINING
The field staffs were selected from the CBS and different Branch Statistical Offices (BSOs). The field staff consists of supervisors, enumerators and data entry operators. There were 20 supervisors, 45 enumerators and 32 female interviewers selected for the training reserving 4 supervisors and 13 enumerators as extra so as to conduct the survey perpetually. Female interviewers were hired in order to take interviews in the questions assumed to be sensitive and related to women such as their marriage and maternity history and family planning practices. There was a month long intensive training (from February 28 to March 30, 2003) on survey operation and various topics covered in the survey, related to living standards and socio-economic condition of the people for both the supervisors and enumerators. In addition, there was a separate training one for supervisors on community questionnaire and another for the data entry operators on data entry and verification. The training went heavily on thorough discussion of each questions, mock interviews and practical interviews in the field. Before the supervisor and enumerator's training, master's training was also provided to all the statistical officers of BSOs for thorough understanding of the questionnaire and effective supervision at the district level.
FIELD TEAMS
Altogether 16 teams were deputed for fieldwork in different parts of the country assigning each team to the particular area. The teams were developed on the basis of the geographical location of the BSOs as well as their workload analysis and traveling time. Each team covered 27 PSUs on average. There was one supervisor, three enumerators and one data entry operator in each team. Of these, at least two female interviewers were included in each team. Each team was supported with logistics including equipments such as, laptop computer, solar panel, solar power box and other survey instruments and materials in the field. As a result of the obstacle in the field enumeration, some of the PSUs previously assigned had been transferred to the neighb oring teams. The supervisor worked as a team leader and was responsible for supervising, coordinating and monitoring the data collection activities. Other duties included completing community questionnaires, check household questionnaires thoroughly and handle data entry activities in the field. The assigned job of the enumerator was to visit the households, interview the household heads and other members of the family as required, complete the household questionnaire maintaining data quality and revisit the households if any inconsistencies were shown in data entry program. In addition, she had to enter household and community data into a computer, flag any inconsistencies to the supervisor as shown by the computer and get the entry verified by the supervisor.
STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEWS
Each team was provided with the name list of 12 household heads with 6-extra just in case the selected household could not be found. The supervisor distributed the households among enumerators. After completion of several forms, the data entry operator entered the data collected so far. If any inconsistencies appeared in this process, the households were immediately revisited to correct the mistakes in the field. The supervisor visited the knowledgeable persons and community leaders to fill out the community questionnaire. The role of supervision was very crucial in accomplishing such a comprehensive and multi-topic survey. Thus, extensive field supervision both from the centre (CBS) and from the districts (BSOs) was carried out during the survey period. Moreover, the central supervision was carried by the core team members the Household Survey Section while the district level supervision was made by the Statistical Officers of the BSOs.
DATA COLLECTION
Data collection was carried out from April 2003 to April 2004 in an attempt to cover a complete cycle of agricultural activities and to capture seasonal variations in different variables. Majority of the process was completed in three phases: the first one from April 2003 to July 2003, the second one from August 2003 to November 2003 and the final one from December 2003 to February 2004. The samples were equally distributed among phases for both cross-section and panel PSUs considering their geographic distribution. Breaks between these phases were used for discussions over difficulties in the field and preparation for the next phase. During May 8-12 of 2003, discussions were held with data entry operators, supervisors and core teams members of the survey team at CBS to rectify some issues in the data entry program that came up in the field in the first round of the first phase. Conflict situations prevailing in different parts of the country hindered fieldwork in some of the PSUs and a fourth phase was created to complete the enumeration work in subsequent attempts and the fieldwork was extended till April 2004. Out of a total of 434 PSUs, 407 PSUs were completed in the first attempt, 14 PSUs were enumerated in the second attempt but 13 could not be enumerated at all.
The NLSS project activities were led by the Projector Coordinator and Head of the Household Survey Section (HSS) under the general guidance of the Director General of the CBS. A core team was formed at the central level and constituted the Director General, Deputy Director General, Deputy Directors of Social Statistics Division and Statistical Officers of the Household Survey Section. These activities were directed and guided by the Advisory and Technical Committee meetings especially on questionnaire design, data collection in the field and analysis of the results.
SELECTION OF FIELD STAFF AND TRAINING
The field staffs were selected from the CBS and different Branch Statistical Offices (BSOs). The field staff consists of supervisors, enumerators and data entry operators. There were 20 supervisors, 45 enumerators and 32 female interviewers selected for the training reserving 4 supervisors and 13 enumerators as extra so as to conduct the survey perpetually. Female interviewers were hired in order to take interviews in the questions assumed to be sensitive and related to women such as their marriage and maternity history and family planning practices. There was a month long intensive training (from February 28 to March 30, 2003) on survey operation and various topics covered in the survey, related to living standards and socio-economic condition of the people for both the supervisors and enumerators. In addition, there was a separate training one for supervisors on community questionnaire and another for the data entry operators on data entry and verification. The training went heavily on thorough discussion of each questions, mock interviews and practical interviews in the field. Before the supervisor and enumerator's training, master's training was also provided to all the statistical officers of BSOs for thorough understanding of the questionnaire and effective supervision at the district level.
FIELD TEAMS
Altogether 16 teams were deputed for fieldwork in different parts of the country assigning each team to the particular area. The teams were developed on the basis of the geographical location of the BSOs as well as their workload analysis and traveling time. Each team covered 27 PSUs on average. There was one supervisor, three enumerators and one data entry operator in each team. Of these, at least two female interviewers were included in each team. Each team was supported with logistics including equipments such as, laptop computer, solar panel, solar power box and other survey instruments and materials in the field. As a result of the obstacle in the field enumeration, some of the PSUs previously assigned had been transferred to the neighb oring teams. The supervisor worked as a team leader and was responsible for supervising, coordinating and monitoring the data collection activities. Other duties included completing community questionnaires, check household questionnaires thoroughly and handle data entry activities in the field. The assigned job of the enumerator was to visit the households, interview the household heads and other members of the family as required, complete the household questionnaire maintaining data quality and revisit the households if any inconsistencies were shown in data entry program. In addition, she had to enter household and community data into a computer, flag any inconsistencies to the supervisor as shown by the computer and get the entry verified by the supervisor.
STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEWS
Each team was provided with the name list of 12 household heads with 6-extra just in case the selected household could not be found. The supervisor distributed the households among enumerators. After completion of several forms, the data entry operator entered the data collected so far. If any inconsistencies appeared in this process, the households were immediately revisited to correct the mistakes in the field. The supervisor visited the knowledgeable persons and community leaders to fill out the community questionnaire. The role of supervision was very crucial in accomplishing such a comprehensive and multi-topic survey. Thus, extensive field supervision both from the centre (CBS) and from the districts (BSOs) was carried out during the survey period. Moreover, the central supervision was carried by the core team members the Household Survey Section while the district level supervision was made by the Statistical Officers of the BSOs.
DATA COLLECTION
Data collection was carried out from April 2003 to April 2004 in an attempt to cover a complete cycle of agricultural activities and to capture seasonal variations in different variables. Majority of the process was completed in three phases: the first one from April 2003 to July 2003, the second one from August 2003 to November 2003 and the final one from December 2003 to February 2004. The samples were equally distributed among phases for both cross-section and panel PSUs considering their geographic distribution. Breaks between these phases were used for discussions over difficulties in the field and preparation for the next phase. During May 8-12 of 2003, discussions were held with data entry operators, supervisors and core teams members of the survey team at CBS to rectify some issues in the data entry program that came up in the field in the first round of the first phase. Conflict situations prevailing in different parts of the country hindered fieldwork in some of the PSUs and a fourth phase was created to complete the enumeration work in subsequent attempts and the fieldwork was extended till April 2004. Out of a total of 434 PSUs, 407 PSUs were completed in the first attempt, 14 PSUs were enumerated in the second attempt but 13 could not be enumerated at all.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires
Two types of questionnaires were administered in NLSS II: household questionnaire and community questionnaires (urban and rural). In order to generate comparable data with NLSS I, as many of the NLSS I questions as possible were retained in NLSS II. However, some important additions were made on the household questionnaire to address some contemporary issues such as population migration and child labor. Some questions were omitted based on whether such questions were poorly answered or collected in NLSS I. Detaile d discussions were made on the household questionnaire with members of NLSS II Technical Committee, representatives from different donor agencies and other stakeholders.
For instance, questions on anthropometrics section were dropped for the reason stated above. Questions on new areas of concern and economic activities were added (child labour – merged from a planned ILO "Nepal Child Labor Survey" for members 5 years of age and over). Sections on changes in household composition for the panel component of the survey and children (under 15 years of age) away from home were added. Questions on migration were asked of all members of the household 5 years and older in this survey instead of just the household head in previous survey. Other additions and modifications included own account production of goods, extended economic activities, underemployment status, health information including HIV/AIDS and household facilities. Some gender specific questions were added in agricultural wages whereas a few questions were dropped from the agriculture section.
There were separate sets of questionnaires for urban and rural communities, as in NLSS I. Community questionnaires were designed to measure community characteristics and market prices to supplement the information collected through household questionnaire.
The questionnaires were revised intensively with the feedback from pre-test in the field. The pre-test was done in different ecological zones, development regions and urban/rural areas during July -August 2002. The pre-test was also designed to track panel households and the tracking was found to be 80 percent.
- Household questionnaire: There was a 74-paged household questionnaire with 19 sections and 10 appendices.
- Urban community questionnaire: Urban community questionnaire was developed to take interview with the leaders and knowledgeable persons representing the community of the enumeration area, usually the ward and occasionally the sub-ward of the municipality.
- Rural community questionnaire: Rural community questionnaire was developed to interview leaders and knowledgeable persons representing the community of the enumeration areas, which in most cases was the ward of the VDC.
For instance, questions on anthropometrics section were dropped for the reason stated above. Questions on new areas of concern and economic activities were added (child labour – merged from a planned ILO "Nepal Child Labor Survey" for members 5 years of age and over). Sections on changes in household composition for the panel component of the survey and children (under 15 years of age) away from home were added. Questions on migration were asked of all members of the household 5 years and older in this survey instead of just the household head in previous survey. Other additions and modifications included own account production of goods, extended economic activities, underemployment status, health information including HIV/AIDS and household facilities. Some gender specific questions were added in agricultural wages whereas a few questions were dropped from the agriculture section.
There were separate sets of questionnaires for urban and rural communities, as in NLSS I. Community questionnaires were designed to measure community characteristics and market prices to supplement the information collected through household questionnaire.
The questionnaires were revised intensively with the feedback from pre-test in the field. The pre-test was done in different ecological zones, development regions and urban/rural areas during July -August 2002. The pre-test was also designed to track panel households and the tracking was found to be 80 percent.
- Household questionnaire: There was a 74-paged household questionnaire with 19 sections and 10 appendices.
- Urban community questionnaire: Urban community questionnaire was developed to take interview with the leaders and knowledgeable persons representing the community of the enumeration area, usually the ward and occasionally the sub-ward of the municipality.
- Rural community questionnaire: Rural community questionnaire was developed to interview leaders and knowledgeable persons representing the community of the enumeration areas, which in most cases was the ward of the VDC.
Data Processing
Other Processing
Data collection, data entry, inconsistency checking and error removing were done in the field itself. A distinctive feature of NLSS II was the use of computers for data entry in the field. All the sixteen field teams were provided with Pentium II laptop computers with solar power supply for use in rural areas with no electricity.
The main goal of the fieldwork was to get actual figures from the respondents. To get the true figures from the respondents before the teams returned from the field (assigned ward) they had to go through all inconsistencies, errors or warnings. The enumerators revisited the households to correct the information whenever the data entry program showed any types of error. The data entry program developed in LSD composed of inconsistency corrections and error checks. After the completion of the fieldwork, the teams sent the data diskettes back to the central office (CBS) from the field as soon as possible. The intensive field supervision from CBS included checking and verifying of the data entered comparing it with the filled data in the questionnaire.
Data processing and analysis were done using STATA statistical software package.
The main goal of the fieldwork was to get actual figures from the respondents. To get the true figures from the respondents before the teams returned from the field (assigned ward) they had to go through all inconsistencies, errors or warnings. The enumerators revisited the households to correct the information whenever the data entry program showed any types of error. The data entry program developed in LSD composed of inconsistency corrections and error checks. After the completion of the fieldwork, the teams sent the data diskettes back to the central office (CBS) from the field as soon as possible. The intensive field supervision from CBS included checking and verifying of the data entered comparing it with the filled data in the questionnaire.
Data processing and analysis were done using STATA statistical software package.
Data Appraisal
Data Appraisal
The survey was unable to reach/interview all the sampled PSUs and their households. With the consultation of the design experts it was decided not to replace the affected PSUs for enumeration and ultimately they were dropped. In a few exceptional cases, data entry could not be done in the field for some rural PSUs but was done at the nearest market or district headquarters. And despite every effort to reduce other limitations, we also acknowledge the usual difficulties inherent in a household survey covering all parts of the country (e.g. discrepancies in reported use of metric/non-metric units of measurements, a longer recall period resulting in under/over reporting of certain income source or consumption item).
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSMS Data Manager | The World Bank | lsms@worldbank.org | http://go.worldbank.org/QJVDZDKJ60 |
Access conditions
The 1996 and 2003-04 Nepal Living Standards Survey data are the property of the government of Nepal. The data are available to the public, but requests must be made to the Nepalese statistical institute. The request should be submitted to:
Mr. Uttam Malla
Head, Household Survey Division
Central Bureau of Statistics
e-mail: uttammalla@cbs.gov.np
The general "Contact Us" e-mail for CBS is: info@cbs.gov.np
The request should include a brief (one page) explanation of the proposed research.
The Central Bureau of Statistics will authorize the data release and provide instructions on how to provide the Central Bureau of Statistics with a processing fee. The Central Bureau of Statistics can provide the data to users by e-mail upon receipt of a bank transfer for the processing. As of March 2008, the processing fee structure can be found in the Annexes of the Nepal Living Standards Survey 2003/04 Statistical Report Volume 1.
Please note that power cuts are extensive in Kathmandu. CBS personnel are often difficult to contact because of the power cuts. Allow extra time for CBS to respond.
Mr. Uttam Malla
Head, Household Survey Division
Central Bureau of Statistics
e-mail: uttammalla@cbs.gov.np
The general "Contact Us" e-mail for CBS is: info@cbs.gov.np
The request should include a brief (one page) explanation of the proposed research.
The Central Bureau of Statistics will authorize the data release and provide instructions on how to provide the Central Bureau of Statistics with a processing fee. The Central Bureau of Statistics can provide the data to users by e-mail upon receipt of a bank transfer for the processing. As of March 2008, the processing fee structure can be found in the Annexes of the Nepal Living Standards Survey 2003/04 Statistical Report Volume 1.
Please note that power cuts are extensive in Kathmandu. CBS personnel are often difficult to contact because of the power cuts. Allow extra time for CBS to respond.
Citation requirements
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_NPL_2003_LSS-II_v01_M
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| World Bank, Development Economics Data Group | DECDG | Production of metadata |
Date of Metadata Production
2010-06-25
DDI Document version
Version 01 (June 2010).