Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document:  text  image

Form B: household questionnaire - part 3: fertility information of females aged 15 and over listed in column 2 of part 2
[Questions 1-6 were asked of females age 15 and older]


Number of children born
(Give number in two digits, like: 01, 02... 10, 11, etc. If none, write 00)


5. How many of them are living?

a. Male _ _
b. Female _ _

Questionnaire instructions view entire document:  text  image

Filling in of Form B Household Questionnaire Part 3: Fertility Information of Females Aged 15 and over Listed in Column 2 of Part 2
[p.46]
110. This part of the questionnaire relates to fertility information. These questions will be asked in the case of females aged 15 and over in the household who have already been enumerated in Part 2 of Form B Household Questionnaire. Note that fertility information should be collected for all women aged 15 and above in the household irrespective of their age or marital status. In other words, this will include elderly women and women who were never married, married, widowed, divorced or separated.

110.1 You have already listed the names of usual members present and visitors present in the household on Census Night in Column 2 of Part 2. You have also filled in Columns 3 to 23 of Part 2. Now you have to first identify from Columns 2, 4 and 5 of Part 2, all females aged 15 and over in the household. As an indication that you have identified each such female, you should tick mark the serial number of the female concerned in Column 1 of Part 2. You have to collect fertility information about these women and record them in Columns 4 to 8 of Form B Part 3 of the questionnaire. The following are the instructions for filling in Columns 1 to 8 of Form B Part 3 of the questionnaire:


Columns 4 to 6: Number of Children Born

114. The questions in this Column have been designed in such a way as to elicit the vital information we require without embarrassing the respondents. We have to find out the total number of children born to a woman, number of children living and number of children dead among them. Please remember that the nature of responses you will obtain will depend, to a great extent, on how tactfully you put these questions. Great care must be taken to choose words which, while retaining the exact meaning of the questions, will not give rise to any emotional feelings. Finally, please note that the word "children" in the questions refers to the woman's own offspring of whatever age and sex and not the children of a brother, sister or husband or other relative or non-relative or adopted ones who may be living with her. You should also note that some of the respondents may be old and their memory weak. You should, therefore, exercise patience and help them to recollect the correct number of children born to them. If no child is reported for any of the questions, write 00 in the column concerned.

114.1 It is common experience that the birth of the child may not be reported readily if the child is not actually surviving at the time of enumeration. Infant deaths are still high in the country. There is a chance of a number of such cases being missed unless specifically questioned about. It is necessary to record all live births even if the child has died soon thereafter or had not survived to the day of enumeration. Where a woman first answers that no child was ever born to her, you may perhaps question her as follows: "It has been found in some houses that a child was born and had died soon after or a few days or months later and such cases had not been reported. It is my hope that there are no such cases here. Am I right?" This may bring in the required response. If she reports "No" then you can be sure that no birth has been missed.


Column 5 (a) and (b): How many of them are living? (separately for male children living in Column (a) and female children living in Column (b))

117. Record in the space provided, the number of the woman's own children by sex who are alive. Some of them may be in the same household and others may live elsewhere. You have to record all of them. Remember to include in this category any of the woman's own children who normally live in this household but who are absent at the time of the interview. In some rare cases when the children are away from their mother, she may not know whether all or some of them are living or not. In those cases write the number of children known to be living under Column 5 (a) for male and under Column 5 (b) for female. Put an asterisk on that number. In the space provided below the 10th line put the asterisk again and write against it as follows: Note: It is not known whether?. (Write the number) of male and ?. (Write the number) of female children are living or not.