It is time we recognised that survey data cannot be interpreted in the way it used to be | The Indian Express

It is time we recognised that survey data cannot be interpreted in the way it used to be | The Indian Express

Written by Surjit S Bhalla |Updated: July 27, 2019 10:19:11 am

The writer is Contributing Editor at The Indian Express, and Consulting Editor at Network 18

It is time we recognised that survey data cannot be interpreted in the way it used to be

India was a pioneer in data collection some 70 years ago. It should be recalled that GDP data in the first 30- odd years was based on the consumption data collected by the NSSO. Poverty rates, and policies, were based on NSSO data.

We do not know a priori whether the NSSO data are a correct reflection of the underlying reality, or the national accounts data produced by the CSO are a better proxy.

Correct analysis of data is imperative for appropriate policy response. This is obvious. The reason I am repeating the obvious is that there are serious problems with the data that we, policymakers and academics, are basing our policy decisions on. Problems with methods and accuracy of data collection. The discussion on data for policy has been across the board — socio-economic (riots, infant mortality rates, sex ratio etc) and economic (GDP growth, exchange rate, poverty etc.). In this article, I would like to point to some of the perils of poor data quality and often erroneous interpretation.