How we did it

The idea of an Indian male survey was conceived by Business Today and Monitoring and Research Systems (MaRS), promoted by former ORG-MARG President Raghu Roy, back in June, 2007.

The survey objectives were manifold: In a country changing rapidly, how were its men, who account for 52 per cent of the population, changing along different dimensions?

Chiefly, we wanted to examine the Indian male’s attitudes towards consumption, work, society, and his own future.

This being the first survey of its kind, we have no baseline figures that we could use to assess how the Indian male has changed.

However, what we have been able to capture richly is his current state of mind. Now, for the mechanics of the survey.

The study was carried out among urban Indian working men belonging to socio-economic classes A, B and C drawn from all states of India except north-eastern states and Jammu & Kashmir. 

 The study universe consisted of the entire urban region in the select states with population half a million or more.

The survey was carried out in a total of 35 towns, consisting of three giant metros (population 10 million or more), five big metros (population 3.5 million to 7 million), eight midmetros (population 1.5 million to 3.5 million), six mini metros (population 1.0 million to 3.5 million) and 12 wannabe metros (population 0.5 million to 1 million).

Systematic sampling at household level was adopted as the sampling methodology (booster sampling was resorted to in some cases to meet the SEC by Age quotas at each sample town level), with suitably selected random start points.

Men were divided into four age segments: 21-30 years unmarried and three married age segments of 25-35 years, 35-45 years and 45+ years.

Total sample size was 11,370 across the 35 sample towns and the four age segments.

The sample breakdown for the different age and spatial segments are given below.