Living Standards Survey 1995-1996
Nepal, 1995 - 1996
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Reference ID
NPL_1995-1996_LSS-BL_v01_EN_M_v01_A_OCS
Producer(s)
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS)
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Metadata
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Oct 05, 2020
Last modified
Jan 26, 2023
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Identification
Survey ID Number
NPL_1995-1996_LSS-BL_v01_EN_M_v01_A_OCS
Title
Living Standards Survey 1995-1996
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Nepal | NPL |
Study type
Living Standards Measurement Study [hh/lsms]
Series Information
The Nepal Living Standard Survey (LSS) 1995-1996 was the first survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Nepal as a multi-topic survey collecting a comprehensive set of data on different aspects of household's welfare (consumption, income, housing, labour markets, education, health, etc.). These data, together with those collected through future rounds of the survey will ultimately allow the government to monitor the progress in improving national living standard and to evaluate the impact of various government policies and program on living condition of the population.
Abstract
One of the principal objectives of the Eighth Five Year Plan of Nepal is the alleviation of poverty in the country. However, the scarcity of reliable and timely data regarding the living standards of the people and the level of poverty in the country has hampered efforts to monitor achievements. This provided the impetus for an understanding between His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN) and the World Bank to launch a Living Standards Survey in Nepal. The Nepal Living Standards Survey (LSS) was designed as a multi-topic survey collecting a comprehensive set of data on different aspects of household welfare (consumption, income, housing, labour markets, education, health etc.). These data, together with those collected through future rounds of the survey, will ultimately allow HMGN to monitor progress in improving national living standards and to evaluate the impact of various government policies and programs on the living conditions of the population.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
Households
Scope
Notes
The 1995 Nepal Living Standards Survey covered the following topics:
HOUSEHOL LEVEL
- Household Information: Household Roster, Information on Parents , Activities, Unemployment
- Housing: Type of Dwelling, Housing Expenses, Utilities and Amenities
- Access to Facilities
- Migration
- Food Expenses and Home Production
- Non-Food Expenditures and Durable Goods: Frequent Non-Food Expenditures, Infrequent Non-Food Expenditures, Inventory of Durables Goods
- Education: Literacy, Past Enrolment, Current Enrolment
- Health: Chronic Illnesses, Illnesses or Injuries, Immunization
- Anthropometrics
- Marriage and Maternity History: Maternity History, Pre- and Post-natal Care, Family Planning
- Wage Employment: In Agricultural, Outside Agriculture
- Farming and Livestock: Landholding, Production and Distribution, Expenditure on Inputs, Earning from Agriculture, Livestock , Ownership of Farming Assets, Extension Services
- Credit and Saving: Borrowing, Lending, Other Assets
- Remittances and Transfers: Income Sent, Income Received
- Other Income
- Adequacy of Consumption
COMMUNITY LEVEL RURAL COMMUNITY
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the Community, Electricity, Water Supply and Sewerage
- Access to Facilities: Services and Amenities, Education, Health Facilities
- Agriculture and Forestry: Land, Irrigation, Crop Cycles, Wages Paid to Hired Labor, Rental Rates for Cattle and Machinery
- Migration: Out-Migration, In-Migration
- Development Programs: Development Programs, User Groups, Quality of Life
- Rural Primary School
- Rural Health Facility
- Markets and Prices
URBAN COMMUNITY
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the Community, Electricity, Water Supply and Sewerage
- Access to Facilities
- Markets and Prices: Local Shop / Shops, Wholesaler
HOUSEHOL LEVEL
- Household Information: Household Roster, Information on Parents , Activities, Unemployment
- Housing: Type of Dwelling, Housing Expenses, Utilities and Amenities
- Access to Facilities
- Migration
- Food Expenses and Home Production
- Non-Food Expenditures and Durable Goods: Frequent Non-Food Expenditures, Infrequent Non-Food Expenditures, Inventory of Durables Goods
- Education: Literacy, Past Enrolment, Current Enrolment
- Health: Chronic Illnesses, Illnesses or Injuries, Immunization
- Anthropometrics
- Marriage and Maternity History: Maternity History, Pre- and Post-natal Care, Family Planning
- Wage Employment: In Agricultural, Outside Agriculture
- Farming and Livestock: Landholding, Production and Distribution, Expenditure on Inputs, Earning from Agriculture, Livestock , Ownership of Farming Assets, Extension Services
- Credit and Saving: Borrowing, Lending, Other Assets
- Remittances and Transfers: Income Sent, Income Received
- Other Income
- Adequacy of Consumption
COMMUNITY LEVEL RURAL COMMUNITY
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the Community, Electricity, Water Supply and Sewerage
- Access to Facilities: Services and Amenities, Education, Health Facilities
- Agriculture and Forestry: Land, Irrigation, Crop Cycles, Wages Paid to Hired Labor, Rental Rates for Cattle and Machinery
- Migration: Out-Migration, In-Migration
- Development Programs: Development Programs, User Groups, Quality of Life
- Rural Primary School
- Rural Health Facility
- Markets and Prices
URBAN COMMUNITY
- Population Characteristics and Infrastructure: Characteristics of the Community, Electricity, Water Supply and Sewerage
- Access to Facilities
- Markets and Prices: Local Shop / Shops, Wholesaler
Topics
| Topic | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Financial Sector | FAO |
| Migration & Remittances | FAO |
| Food (production, crisis) | FAO |
| Health | FAO |
| Population & Reproductive Health | FAO |
| Animal health | FAO |
| Access to Finance | FAO |
| Prices statistics | FAO |
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) | National Planning Commission Secretariat |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| The World Bank Group | Technical assistance |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The World Bank Group | WB | Financial assistant |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
Sample Design Sample Frame:
A complete list of all wards in the country, with a measure of size, was developed in order to select from it with Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) the sample of wards to be visited. The 1991 Population Census of Nepal was the best starting point for building such a sample frame. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) constructed a data set with basic information from the census at the ward level. This data set was used as a sample frame to develop the Nepal LSS sample.
Sample Design:
The sample size for the Nepal LSS was set at 3,388 households. This sample was divided into four strata based on the geographic and ecological regions of the country: (i) mountains, (ii) urban Hills, (iii) rural Hills, and (iv) Terai. The sample size was designed to provide enough observations within each ecological stratum to ensure adequate statistical accuracy, as well as enough variation in key variables for policy analysis within each stratum, while respecting resource constraints and the need to balance sampling and non-sampling errors. A two-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select the sample for the Nepal LSS. The primary sampling unit (PSU) is the ward, the smallest administrative unit in the 1991 Population Census. In order to increase the variability of the sample, it was decided that a small number of households - twelve - would be interviewed in each ward. Thus, a total of 275 wards was obtained. In the first stage of the sampling, wards were selected with probability proportional to size (PPS) from each of the four ecological strata, using the number of households in the ward as the measure of size. In order to give the sample an implicit stratification respecting the division of the country into Development Regions, the sample frame was sorted by ascending order of district codes, and these were numbered from East to West. The sample frame considered all the 75 districts in the country, and indeed 73 of them were represented in the sample. In the second stage of the sampling, a fixed number of households were chosen with equal probabilities from each selected PSU. The two-stage procedure just described has several advantages. It simplified the analysis by providing a self-weighted sample. It also reduced the travel time and cost, as 12 or 16 households are interviewed in each ward. In addition, as the number of households to be interviewed in each ward was known in advance, the procedure made it possible to plan an even workload across different survey teams.
A complete list of all wards in the country, with a measure of size, was developed in order to select from it with Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) the sample of wards to be visited. The 1991 Population Census of Nepal was the best starting point for building such a sample frame. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) constructed a data set with basic information from the census at the ward level. This data set was used as a sample frame to develop the Nepal LSS sample.
Sample Design:
The sample size for the Nepal LSS was set at 3,388 households. This sample was divided into four strata based on the geographic and ecological regions of the country: (i) mountains, (ii) urban Hills, (iii) rural Hills, and (iv) Terai. The sample size was designed to provide enough observations within each ecological stratum to ensure adequate statistical accuracy, as well as enough variation in key variables for policy analysis within each stratum, while respecting resource constraints and the need to balance sampling and non-sampling errors. A two-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select the sample for the Nepal LSS. The primary sampling unit (PSU) is the ward, the smallest administrative unit in the 1991 Population Census. In order to increase the variability of the sample, it was decided that a small number of households - twelve - would be interviewed in each ward. Thus, a total of 275 wards was obtained. In the first stage of the sampling, wards were selected with probability proportional to size (PPS) from each of the four ecological strata, using the number of households in the ward as the measure of size. In order to give the sample an implicit stratification respecting the division of the country into Development Regions, the sample frame was sorted by ascending order of district codes, and these were numbered from East to West. The sample frame considered all the 75 districts in the country, and indeed 73 of them were represented in the sample. In the second stage of the sampling, a fixed number of households were chosen with equal probabilities from each selected PSU. The two-stage procedure just described has several advantages. It simplified the analysis by providing a self-weighted sample. It also reduced the travel time and cost, as 12 or 16 households are interviewed in each ward. In addition, as the number of households to be interviewed in each ward was known in advance, the procedure made it possible to plan an even workload across different survey teams.
Response Rate
99.5 percent
Weighting
The weights for the survey were derived considering the stratification of the sampling frame and the selection of wards within the strata. See "Sampling Weights for the NLSS" for a detailed discussion on the weights for the survey. Data file sample contains the Nepal LSS weights.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 1995-06 | 1996-05 |
Data Collection Mode
Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]
Data Processing
Data Editing
Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including:
a) Office editing and coding
b) During data entry
c) Structure checking and completeness
d) Secondary editing
e) Structural checking of SPSS data files
Each week, the data entry operator gives the supervisor two specific computer-generated documents for each household in the previous week's ward: a listing of errors in the data entered for the household and a special listing of consistency checks.
a) Office editing and coding
b) During data entry
c) Structure checking and completeness
d) Secondary editing
e) Structural checking of SPSS data files
Each week, the data entry operator gives the supervisor two specific computer-generated documents for each household in the previous week's ward: a listing of errors in the data entered for the household and a special listing of consistency checks.
Data Appraisal
Data Appraisal
A distinctive feature of the Nepal LSS is the use of personal computers for data entry in the field. Instead of sending the completed questionnaires back to the central office for data entry, the data collected in the ward were entered while the team was still in the field. For this purpose, each team was provided with a computer, a printer, and a power system for data entry, in addition to scales and meters to measure children. A data entry program developed specifically for the survey was installed on each computer. The data entry program let the data operator and the supervisor know if there were mistakes or missing data in the interview and checked whether information from one part of the interview matched information from other parts. When problems or errors were found, the interviewers returned to the households to correct the information. This process of entering, checking, and correcting the data in the field helped to ensure that the information collected was accurate. It also reduced the time lag between data collection and data analysis; diskettes containing the complete data for each ward were sent back to the central office as soon as work in the ward was completed, and the data were available for analysis shortly after the completion of the collection phase. Data Entry Data entry involves keying in information from the questionnaires and then running a series of programs to check the information. These programs detect errors or inconsistencies in the data. All data are stored internally in the team's computer. In addition, the data entry operator makes backup copies of all data files on diskettes. The data entry operator is also responsible for maintaining the personal computer, printer, and the power equipment, as well as for storing the diskettes, printouts, and questionnaires properly.
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSMS Data Manager | The World Bank | [email protected] | surveys.worldbank.org/lsms |
| Publication, Distribution and Library Section | Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal | [email protected] | Link |
Confidentiality
Confidentiality of the respondents is guaranteed by Article 8 of Statistics Act 1958. Restriction on publication of information and details Any information or details relating to any person, family, firm or company, which have been supplied, obtained or prepared pursuant to Section 3 or Section 4 or Section 5 or Section 6 or Section 7 or any part of such information or details, shall not be disclosed or published directly except to the Director General or to any other officer of the Bureau without the written permission of the person or of his or her authorized representative supplying such information or details. For the purpose of institution of any suit under this Act, nothing mentioned in Sub-section (1) shall be deemed to bar the production of such information before any court.
Access conditions
The 1996, 2003-04 and 2010-11 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: The Central Bureau of Statistics: [email protected] with a copy to: Mr. Dhundiraj Lamichhane Head, Household Survey Division Central Bureau of Statistics [email protected] 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 February 2012, the processing fee structure can be found in the following Annex from the Statistical Abstract. 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
Example: Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Nepal. Nepal Living Standards Survey 1995/96. Ref. NPL_1995_LSS-I_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from [source] on [date].
- 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
Example: Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Nepal. Nepal Living Standards Survey 1995/96. Ref. NPL_1995_LSS-I_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from [source] on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal bears no responsibility for any outcomes or for interpretations or inferences arising from the use of the dataset.
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_NPL_1995-1996_LSS-BL_v01_EN_M_v01_A_OCS_FAO
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of Chief Statistician | OCS | Food and Agricultural Organization | Adoption of metadata for FAM |
| Development Economics Data Group | DECDG | The World Bank | Production of metadata |
DDI Document version
NPL_1995-1996_LSS-BL_v01_EN_M_v01_A_OCS_v01