Description

GEOALT_IA2015_2019 indicates the district in India where the respondent was interviewed. Districts are the second administrative level of geography. This variable is integrated to yield units with consistent boundaries across samples.

Labels identify the modern geographic units (districts) contained in each integrated region. Each sample also has its own non-integrated geography variable. There is also an integrated variable, GEO_IA1992_2015, that provides spatially consistent units over time with less geographic detail (states).

A GIS map for GEOALT_IA2015_2019 (in shapefile format) can be downloaded here.

Comparability

Where boundaries changed over time, units were harmonized (combined) to create units with boundaries that remain stable over time.

Note that the union territory of Puducherry (coterminous to states in India) consists of four disjointed districts - Yanam (enclosed by the state of Andhra Pradesh), Mahe (enclosed by the state of Kerala), Pondicherry, and Karaikal (both within the state of Tamil Nadu).

Boundary changes for GEOALT_IA2015_2019 are too numerous to list here, but users should be aware that there were changes over time.

Universe