Socio-Economic and Demographic Factors on Welfare among Households in Mbale District, Uganda

In Bungokho Sub County, Mbale District, Eastern Uganda, the study examined the impact of socioeconomic and demographic factors on welfare among households. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from a sample of 184 houses based on a descriptive study methodology. The household welfare was assessed and estimated using the Possession Score Index. Software from STATA and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences were used to process and analyze the data using regression, ANOVA, and frequency counts. The study's primary conclusions demonstrated a relationship between household employment, marital status, gender, and educational attainment and welfare in the Mbale district. The study also showed that households headed by women had lower welfare than households headed by men. The welfare of married household leaders was superior to other classifications. Household heads with ages under 35 and over 45 showed low welfare. The welfare of employed family heads, like civil servants, was superior to that of households headed by peasants and casual laborers. Compared to household heads with certificates and those without any formal education, those with higher education levels degrees and diplomas—were found to have better welfare. At the 5% level, variables including gender and household occupation were statistically significant (sig. value< 0.05). The majority of other variables, including household size, age, marital status, and education level, were not statistically significant at the 5% level (sig. values > 0.05), making it difficult to identify the degree of household welfare in the mbale district. According to the study, policy solutions that would improve access to high-quality education, community development, affordable healthcare, regulatory reforms, and basic service accessibility would all contribute to the welfare of the Mbale District. This finding suggests that the Ugandan government has to improve and expedite rural area development, particularly in the district of Mbale's less developed parts. Better rural development would therefore draw more opportunities to expand rural economic activity and raise the standard of living in the community.