About the Centre

Can access to faster frequency data improve policy design and decision making? How can rapid citizen data supplement administrative data and traditional surveys in a country facing rapid change?

The Centre for Rapid Insights was set up to help decision makers - in government, philanthropy, the private sector and elsewhere - access timely and accurate insights on important policy questions. We provide decision makers with survey results and analysis at quick turnaround times - going from start to finish in under 25 days.

The Centre builds on over a decade of experience conducting large-scale national surveys - including on the business climate, perceptions of safety, Covid-19 and urban growth -  that reinforced the need for an engine to deliver faster, more cost-effective surveys that don’t compromise on accuracy and rigor. It is powered by our proprietary statistical model which ensures that survey results are representative of the studied population.

To run a survey using the Centre for Rapid Insights, get in touch at priya.vedavalli@artha.global.

Our Past Work Includes:

1. Changing Female Labour Force Dynamics in Rural India, published in the Ministry of Finance's Economic Survey of India 

We conducted an in-person survey of nearly 2,400 married women aged 24 to 45 to examine the growing labour force participation rates among rural women. Our findings highlight that financial need (96%) is the primary driver for rural women to engage in paid work. Additionally, we observed that women with migrant husbands are more likely to participate in paid employment (42%) compared to those with local husbands (32.5%). Furthermore, 58.5% of women reported an "enhanced quality of life" as the key benefit of welfare schemes.

               

2. How Does Rising Heat Stress Impact Health and Productivity? 

We recently conducted a series of surveys to understand the extent to which heat impacts health. The first survey was conducted on May 28-30 covering 12,496 people  across 20 states and Union territories. Our findings revealed the extent to which heat affects health. Almost half (45%) of the people surveyed said that someone in their family was sick because of the heat in the past month. Read our work on how heat affects quality of life, covered in the Hindustan Times and the BBC. 

3. How Are Indians Coping With Growing Heat Stress?

We conducted another survey to understand how people in India have been coping with heat in June 6-8 reaching 14,637 people across 20 states and UTs. Almost 50% of the respondents that belong to lower income groups are uncomfortable in their workplace. Read our work in the Hindustan Times and the BBC on the disproportionate impact of heat.