Some aspects of fertility data in India.

In India data collection on fertility has been limited to selected small segments of the population (e.g. towns cities metropolises). Comparability of fertility differentials and results is difficult as is determining the general fertility picture for the country as a whole. The National Sample Survey and the Sample Registration System reports have provided some idea of interstate or interregional differentials but definitive conclusions cannot be made. Fertility studies in India have been largely confined to measurements of fertility levels (e.g. child-woman ratio age-specific and total fertility rates) and meeting the exigencies of official family planning programs (e.g. cost effectiveness of program inputs differential acceptance of contraceptive methods). Fertility research per se has been held back. Thus not much is known how the forces of fertility changes are operating in different parts of the country or different sociocultural population groups or how policies should be formulated to induce fertility decline. Also fertility surveys in India have generally weak research designs. Adhocism appear to characterize both the launching and execution of most of the surveys including the adoption of sampling design and the construction of research instruments. Personal interviews for a sample of households or individuals are commonly undertaken with the aid of structured questionnaires or schedules usually patterned after American studies. In published fertility studies comparability is limited by the use of different fertility measures and by differences in computational procedures stratification procedures and data tabulation. It is evident that although fertility studies in India are quantitatively impressive the quality of the studies is not at all impressive. The need to examine research requirements in the context of economic development in general and population policy/family planning program in particular is emphasized as is the need to secure a reduction in the desired number of children in the country.