Changes in Level of Living in Rural West Bengal-Perceptions of the People

This paper is the fifth of a series reporting the results of a resurvey of villages and households carried out m 1985-86 in three districts of West Bengal-Bardhaman, Birbhum and Purulia-that had been covered in the 27th and 28th rounds of the NSS during 1972-74. The findings reported in the earlier papers covered several aspects of the people's level of living-private consumption, social consumption, housing conditions and stocks of consumer durables. The present paper presents a summary of the people's responses to questions on their own perceptions of changes in different dimensions of their level of living.