Socioeconomic status and access to basic social services among urban households in Uganda

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the effect of socioeconomic status and access to basic social services among urban households. The study used secondary data collected during the Uganda National Household Survey 2019/20 by UBOS. The descriptive analysis was run to understand the distribution and characteristics of respondents and this included use of frequency distribution tables. Chi-squared analysis and odds ratios using binary logistic regression were calculated to measure the strength of the association between socioeconomic status and access to basic social services. The study found a statistically significant association between socioeconomic status (household income, education level of household head, sex of the household head and age of the household head) and access to basic social services in urban areas. Statistics revealed that the likelihood of attending any formal school, accessing improved water sources and use of improved toilet facility was significantly higher for individuals with household heads with post-secondary education level with OR: 13.824 (CI:10.741-17.791), OR:2.938 (CI:2.351-3.671) and OR: 5.649 (CI:4.734-6.742) respectively. Also, the likelihood of accessing health service, attending any formal school, accessing improved water sources and use of improved toilet facility was higher for individuals belonging to households with higher income with OR: 2.915(C1:1.969-4.315), OR: 2.941(CI:2.434-3.553), OR: 2.928(2.465-3.479) and OR: 4.021 (CI: 3.540-4.567) respectively Based on the study findings, it is evident that socioeconomic status influence access to basic social services in urban areas. Therefore, Government need to improve on access to education, health, water and sanitation with a particular focus on disadvantaged groups, invest in adult skills training and entrepreneurship, and encourage job creation in local industries