Navigating India's Expanse
India's vast geographic expanse and cultural diversity pose some unique research challenges. There are 17 official languages and more than 800 dialects — requiring consumer fieldwork to be conducted in multiple languages. Most B2B surveys are conducted in English, India's preferred language for business.
Obtaining a representative sample in India is always a challenge.
Good quality telephonic databases are difficult to obtain — there are no published directories for mobile numbers, which far exceed the number of landline connections in this market. A majority of fieldwork is conducted through the PAPI route, though Market Probe India is in the forefront of driving data collection through CATI and online routes.
India has more than 4,000 towns and 600,000 villages. A truly representative consumer sample may necessitate interviews from at least 12-16 locations spread across 3-4 population classes and zones. Clients who target the up-market consumers based in larger towns may settle for 4-6 towns.
India has two socio-economic classifications for households — one each for urban and rural areas. The urban SEC is based on education and occupation of the chief wage earner in that household. The rural SEC is based on the education of the chief wage earner and the type of dwelling the family stays in. Most Indian households are large in size, with an average family size of 5-6 members.
Meeting and interviewing people in their residences is fairly easy. Interviews are also carried out in the workplace. While conducting in-home interviews, the assurance of privacy has proved to be of paramount importance for our respondents.
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