All About dataSpring's India Research Panels | Eye On Asia

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20210813-all-about-dataSprings-india-research-panels

Introduction

In July 2021, dataSpring started offering Indian B2C panels in partnership with the Intage Group. In this article, we will share some tips for conducting online research in India.

 

Country Language

  • Official: Hindi, English
  • Survey: Hindi, English

There are 447 local languages in India, but the most common language is Hindi, and it is the official language of the government. English is used extensively in business, administration, and education, having the status of a "subsidiary official language".

 

Regions Covered

India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories. The states of India have been grouped into six zones having an Advisory Council "to develop the habit of cooperative working" among these states. All states, as well as the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and governments following the Westminster system of governance. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the central government through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganization Act, states were reorganized on a linguistic basis. There are over a quarter of a million local government bodies at city, town, block, district and, village levels.

 

Region Largest city
Central India Indore
East India Kolkata
North India Delhi
Northeast India Guwahati
South India Chennai
Western India Mumbai

 

State Capital
Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad (de jure)
Amaravati (administrative capital) (de facto)
Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
Assam Dispur
Bihar Patna
Chhattisgarh Naya Raipur
Goa Panaji
Gujarat Gandhinagar
Haryana Chandigarh
(shared with Punjab, also a Union Territory)
Himachal Pradesh Shimla (summer)
Dharamshala (winter)
Jharkhand Ranchi
Karnataka Bangalore
Kerala Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal
Maharashtra Mumbai (summer)
Nagpur (winter)
Manipur Imphal
Meghalaya Shillong
Mizoram Aizawl
Nagaland Kohima
Odisha Bhubaneshwar
Punjab Chandigarh
(shared with Haryana, also a Union Territory)
Rajasthan Jaipur
Sikkim Gangtok
Tamil Nadu Chennai
Telangana Hyderabad
Tripura Agartala
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow
Uttarakhand Dehradun (summer)
Gairsain
West Bengal Kolkata

 

Union Territory Capital
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Port Blair
Chandigarh Chandigarh
(also the capital of Haryana and Punjab)
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Daman
Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar (summer)
Jammu (winter)
Ladakh Leh and Kargil
Lakshadweep Kavaratti
National Capital Territory of Delhi New Delhi
Puducherry Pondicherry

 

Demographics and Ratio of Panel Composition

If you have projects that cover the higher age ranges, please consult with us.

 

We recommend checking the feasibility of the survey in advance
- using our FREE IR Check tool.

GET MY IR CHECK!

 

% est. pop.1 Ratio of Panel Composition for dS panel
Male 51.40% 65.74%
Female 48.60% 34.26%
15-19yo 9.0% 12.63%
20-29yo 17.6% 51.80%
30-39yo 15.6% 23.19%
40-49yo 12.5% 8.57%
50-59yo 9.5% 2.84%
60yo+ 10.5% 0.96%

1Reference website: https://censusindia.gov.in and https://www.populationpyramid.net/india/2020/

 

Income

When targeting or allocating by income, it is common to design the survey according to the SEC classification.

* SEC is the socioeconomic characteristic that a consumer has, defined by variables such as income, educational background, occupation and so on. It is an abbreviation for Social Economic Characteristics. There are several definitions regarding SEC.

% Monthly Household Income

  Ratio of Panel Composition for dS panel
Less than INR 20,000 24.39%
INR 20,001 - 50,000 27.72%
INR 50,001 - 80,000 12.60%
INR 80,001 - 125,000 10.73%
INR 125,001 - 200,000 6.62%
More than INR 200,000 7.80%
No Answer 10.15%

 

Local Pro Tip:

When interviewing female respondents in India, it always helps to have it conducted by a female interviewer. This way, female respondents will feel more comfortable with their responses, especially if it’s about sensitive topics or if the research involves a home visit.

Hinduism is by far the biggest religion in the country, but there are also big populations of Muslims and Christians. According to a Pew Research Survey, an estimated eight out of every 10 Indians say that religion is very important in their lives, and because religion is so important, it has a strong influence on people's perspectives. Any national sample of Indian respondents should reflect religious demographics.

 

Ethnic Composition of Our Panels

India is a diverse multiethnic country that is home to more than two thousand ethnic groups. However, the national Census of India does not recognize racial or ethnic groups within the country but recognizes many of the tribal groups as Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

The modern Indian population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations which mixed in ancient times, known as Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and Ancestral South Indians (ASI). ASI corresponds to the Dravidian-speaking population of southern India, whereas ANI corresponds to the Indo-Aryan-speaking population of northern India.


The demographic composition in the country is as follows.

Ethnic group Percentage
Indo-Aryan 75%
Dravidian 20%
Austroasiatic, Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, and other 5%

 

Precautions in Conducting Online Research

The following topics are considered taboo in India:

  • Inter-religion and inter-caste marriages
  • Sexuality
  • Divorce and remarriage
  • Menstruation
  • LBGTQ

 

Final Words

Before conducting online or mobile surveys in India, it’s important to know its basic profile. For more in-depth information, talk to our Local Experts today!

Online research panels have become one of the most important tools of the modern market researcher, and it can yield valuable insights and results if used properly. To know more about online research panels, especially in the Asian region, check out our Understanding Online Research Panels page.

 

Contact us anytime 24/7! One of our Springers will be in touch with you within 24-48 hours to follow up on your request.