Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document: text image

Form B: Household questionnaire Part 2

For all persons
[Questions 10 to 23 were asked of all persons]

[18] Main activity

Main activity during last year

Enter code from list below.

[] 1 Employed [fill in columns 19 to 23]
[] 2 Unemployed (employed any time before) [fill in cols. 19 to 23 for last employment]

[For codes 1 or 2, continue to questions 19 to 23 and response according to present or last employment]

[] 3 Unemployed (never employed any time before)

Inactive

[] 4 Home maker
[] 5 Student
[] 6 Dependent
[] 7 Rent-receiver, retired or other income recipient
[] 8 Other (specify) ____

[For codes 3 to 8, put dash (-) in Cols. 19 to 23]

Questionnaire instructions view entire document: text image

73. Column 18 to 23 on economic characteristics of population
These question should be asked all persons irrespective of age. These Columns relate to the economic characteristics of population both male and female. Information is proposed to be collected on economic characteristics of population. Economically active population include those who are employed and unemployed. Economically inactive population includes home makers; full time students; dependents; rent-receivers, retired people and other categories of income recipients; and others who are neither employed nor unemployed and also do not come under any of the inactive categories mentioned. The reference period for this is the last one year.

74. Column 18: Main activity during last year
First we want to know what has been the main activity of the person during the one year preceding the Survey Night. Main Activity means the activity during 6 month (183 days) or more during the last one year (i.e. for the major part of the last year). Codes have been provided on the schedule itself which are to be used while answering this question.
Employed
74.1 The "employed" comprises all persons who were in the following categories for 6 months (183 days) or more during the last one year:-

(a) Persons who were in paid employment (e.g. working in public or private organization
etc.).
(b) Persons who during the reference period performed some work for wages, salary, profit or family gains in cash or kind.
(c) Persons who did not do any work for pay or profit during the reference period although they had a job to which they could return (e.g. off season workers like farmers or fisherman), those on sick leave or leave without pay, those who could not work due to strike or lockout in the organization they were working .
(d) Persons who were self-employed (e.g. running a shop by himself or herself, selling eatables, practicing as doctors, lawyers etc.).

74.2 Work is defined as any economically productive activity that a person does for pay (in cash or kind, in any establishment, office, market, farm, private house) or for profit; or without pay on family farm or enterprise. Workers (other than those working without pay in a family farm or business) should receive pay or profit in cash or kind for their activity. Unpaid activities which are not contributing to the person's family business such as voluntary social work or voluntary community support are not classified as "work" for the purposes of this Survey. Work may be physical or mental in nature. Work involves not only actual work but also effective supervision and direction of work. It is important to note that it includes unpaid work on farm or family enterprise. You must ask probing questions to ascertain the existence of a job or employment or unpaid work on family farm or enterprise during the last year. Please also do not assume that women are generally home-makers. You have to specifically ask probing questions of women whether they were working. Please also remember that in rural areas where most men are engaged in cultivation, wives and daughters also participate as unpaid family workers in cultivation. Such women should be treated as working instead of treating them as home-makers or housewives since they attend to domestic duty also. You have to be very careful not to make this mistake. Similarly children who work should be regarded as employed.
74.3 What about men or women engaged in production of goods for own consumption?
Please note that the following activities for own consumption are treated as work:

(i) Production of primary products for own consumption as growing of food grains or vegetables for own consumption.
(ii) Collection of water and firewood for own consumption.
(iii) The processing of primary commodities for own consumption by the producers of these items (Such as drying own vegetables for later use).
(iv) Production of fixed assets for own use (such as building a house or rice paddy dike).

74.4 Activities for own consumption other than the above are not treated as work (e.g. cooking one's own food, washing one's own clothes etc.). If a person is employed but at the same time does also attend to household chores or attend school etc., he/she should be treated basically as employed.
74.5 If you give code 1 for a person after following the above instructions, you have to fill in Columns 18 to 23 which will be described subsequently.
Unemployed
74.6 If a person (man or woman) is not employed you should ask whether he or she was unemployed for six months (or 183 days) or over during the last year. Unemployed refers to those who were without work but were seeking work or available for work.
74.7 Please note that homemakers, students and others mainly engaged in non- economic activities during the reference period who satisfy the above criteria of unemployment should be regarded as unemployed and not as home makers, students etc., If a person returns that he/she is unemployed for the major part of the year according these criteria, you should ask whether the person was employed any time before he/ she became unemployed. If he/she says Yes, you have to record Code 2 for the person in Column 18. On the other hand, if the person says that he/she was unemployed and seeking work for the first time and was never employed any time before you should record Code 3 in Column 18. In the case of unemployed who was employed any time before (Code 2 in Column 18), you have to fill in Columns 18-23 for last employment. In case of Code 3 in Column 18, enter dash (-) in each of the Columns 18 to 23.
Inactive Population
74.8 The employed and unemployed constitute economically active population. Those who are not employed or unemployed spend most of their time as homemakers, students etc. which are not considered as economically active and hence they are called Inactive population. Use the codes given in the schedule for recording the category of people inactive for six months (or 183 days) or more during the last year.
74.9 The inactive categories are explained below:

Home Maker is a person who was solely engaged during the reference period in household duties in his or her home. Give code 4 for this category in Column 18.
Student is a person who was attending school/ educational institution (with Code 2 in Column 17a). Give Code 5 for this category in Column 18.
Dependent: This category includes all dependents like infants and children not attending school, persons permanently disabled and hence cannot do any work and persons who cannot work because of illness or old age. Dependents will include able bodied persons who cannot be categorized in any other inactive category and are dependent on others. However if such a person was seeking or available for work he or she should be categorized as unemployed and not as dependent. For people who were dependents give Code 6 in Column 18.
Rent-receiver, retired or other income recipients: A person who has retired from service and has been doing no other work during the reference period, i.e. not employed again in some work or not engaged in some other work such as cultivation, business, trade etc. or a person who is a rent- receiver or a person living on agriculture or non-agricultural royalty, rent or dividend who has been neither employed nor unemployed, or any other person of independent means for securing which he/she did not have to work will come under this category. You should give Code 7 in Column 18 for this category of inactive person.
Other, (specify): This category will include all inactive persons who may not come under any of the above four categories of inactive persons. For such a person (e.g. beggar) you should give Code 8 and specify (e.g. 8 Beggar) in column 18.