Assessment of demographic factors affecting household income in Uganda

Abstract

The study used the 2018/19 Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS) which is the seventh multi-topic panel household survey conducted in Uganda and follows surveys carried out in 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2015/16. The UNPS is carried out over a twelve-month period on a nationally representative sample of households. Data was analyzed at univariate and bivariate level of analysis. The study found out that household size was significantly associated with household income. The study also showed that gender of the household head, age of household head and Marital status of the household head were not associated with household income. Therefore, basing on the study findings, there study recommended that there’s need by the government and other stakeholders to sensitize the population about the disadvantages of large family sizes as this reduces the dependence burden, reduces output per capita, reduces savings and investment. This would enable families to start having small families and this would boost or increase on their income and also improve on the standard of living. Also, there’s need by the Ugandan government to limit on the number of children per couple and this would reduce on the family size in the country thus increasing household income through reduction in dependence burden. Similarly, there’s need by the government to provide incentives to small size families such as free education for their children as this will motivate other families or couples to have few children thus indirectly promoting increased household income.