ABSTRACT

The broad objective of the study was to construct socio-economic status indices for heads of arable farm families. Simple random sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used to compose the sample. Data were collected by use of interview schedules. The sample size was two hundred and twenty (220) heads of arable farm families. Data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, Point Bi-serial Correlation, and t-test for independent samples. Forty-four (44) items consisting of both dichotomous and quantitative traits were collated after the pre-research survey. Twenty (20) items were found valid after the items analysis. The valid items were ownership of cement house in the village (r = 0.66), ownership of cement house outside the village (r = 0.71), and possession of cutlasses (t = 11.170), spades/shovels (t = 7.769), water closet toilets (r = 0.70), cabinet beds (r = 0.71), wall hangers/wardrobes (r =  0.55), personal boreholes (r = 0.69), motor cars (r = 0.69), CD/DVD players (r = 0.61), television sets (r = 0.65), ceiling/table fans (r = 0.63), executive chairs (r = 0.55), personal generators (r = 0.71), refrigerators (r = 0.69), dining tables (r = 0.62), electric blenders (r = 0.62), wrist watches (r = 0.67) and George wrappers (t = 7.126), and membership of social clubs (r = 0.62). These items can be standardized into a socio-economic scale to measure the socio-economic status of the heads of arable farm families.