Survey Analysis Using Scales of Measurement

Are Campus Businesses Struggling Economically ?

By loycedashingdetails | 26 February 2025

University businesses are a crucial part of campus life, but with shifting student spending habits and rising costs, many are struggling to stay afloat. To understand the situation better, we conducted a survey among campus business operators and students. Our findings revealed key trends, and we analyzed them using the four scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

📊 Business Types (Nominal Data) – Who’s Selling What?

The businesses surveyed included cafés, bookstores, clothing shops, food stalls, and service providers like printing and barbershops. This is an example of nominal data, where the categories represent different types of businesses, but there’s no inherent ranking between them. A café isn’t “greater” than a bookstore—each just falls into a different group.

💰 Student Spending Habits (Ordinal Data) – How Much Do They Spend?

We asked business owners about the average amount students spend per visit, and they reported the following:

• Less than ₹100

• ₹200–₹300

• ₹300–₹500

• ₹500–₹1000

• More than ₹1000

This is ordinal data because the categories have a meaningful order (higher amounts indicate more spending), but the difference between categories isn’t necessarily equal. The gap between ₹200 and ₹300 may not reflect the same financial jump as between ₹500 and ₹1000.

📉 Change in Sales Over Time (Interval Data) – Business Performance Trends

We also asked business owners to compare their current monthly revenue to last year’s. The responses were recorded as percentage changes, such as:

• -10% (decline in sales)

• 0% (no change)

• +25% (growth in sales)

This is interval data because the differences between values are meaningful (e.g., a -10% drop is larger than a -5% drop), but there’s no true zero point—a 0% change doesn’t mean “no business at all,” just that sales remained the same.

🛍️ Business Revenue (Ratio Data) – How Much Are They Earning?

Business owners also shared their exact monthly revenue, ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹500,000 per month. This is ratio data because it has a true zero—a business making ₹0 means it has no revenue at all. Additionally, mathematical operations like ratios and percentages are meaningful (e.g., a shop earning ₹200,000 makes twice as much as one earning ₹100,000).

🔮 What’s Next for Campus Businesses?

From our analysis, we can see that student spending is shifting (ordinal data), different business categories are affected differently (nominal data), sales trends fluctuate (interval data), and total revenue changes significantly (ratio data). Understanding these measurements helps us better interpret the challenges campus businesses face.

Moving forward, could lowering operational costs or offering student discounts help struggling businesses? Should the university provide more financial support? The numbers tell part of the story, but the next steps depend on how students and businesses respond to these changes.

💬 What do you think? 

Are student spending habits changing for good?  Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Frequency Distribution Analysis

📊 Breaking Down Campus Business Trends:

By loycedashingdetails | 26 February 2025

Campus businesses are an essential part of student life, but with changing spending habits and economic challenges, are they thriving or struggling? To find out, I surveyed business operators and students, analysing data using frequency distribution and statistical measures—including mean, median, mode, range, variance, and standard deviation.

🛒 How Much Are Students Spending? (Frequency Distribution)

I categorised student spending into the following groups:

Spending Range :- Number of Students

Less than ₹100 :-25

₹200 – ₹300 :- 30

₹300 – ₹500 :-40

₹500 – ₹1000 :-20

More than ₹1000 :- 10

From this data, I calculated key statistical values to understand how spending varies across students.

📈 What’s the Average Student Spending? (Mean, Median, Mode)

The mean student spending is ₹420, which represents the average amount students spend per visit.

The median is ₹400, meaning half of the students spend less than ₹400, while the other half spends more than ₹400.

The mode, or most commonly occurring value, is ₹400, as the ₹300 – ₹500 category had the highest number of students (40). This suggests that most students typically spend within this range.

📊 How Much Do Spending Habits Vary? (Range, Variance, Standard Deviation)

The range is ₹900, showing a wide gap between the lowest and highest spenders.

The variance is 100,000, indicating a significant difference in student spending habits.

The standard deviation is ₹316, meaning that spending amounts typically deviate by ₹316 from the average (₹420). This suggests moderate variation in student spending patterns.

📈 How Are Businesses Performing? (Revenue Distribution Analysis)

We also asked business operators how their monthly revenue changed compared to last year. Their responses were categorized as follows:

Revenue Change (%) :-Number of Businesses

0 – 20% :- 15

21 – 40% :-20

41 – 60% :- 30

61 – 80% :-25

81 –100% :- 10

The mean revenue change was 50%, meaning that, on average, businesses saw a 50% increase in revenue.

The median revenue change was 45%, showing that half of businesses experienced less than 45% growth, while half saw more than 45% growth.

The mode was the 41 – 60% range, as most businesses fell into this category.

These numbers indicate that many businesses have managed to grow, despite variations in student spending behavior.

📢 What Does This Data Tell Us?

📍 Most students (mode) spend ₹400 per visit, and the average spending is ₹420.

📍 The standard deviation is ₹316, meaning spending habits vary widely among students.

📍 Revenue trends show that most businesses reported 41 – 60% growth, suggesting moderate financial improvement.

This data helps businesses adjust pricing, promotions, and inventory to match student spending behavior. Should businesses focus on discounts for lower spenders or cater more to higher spenders?

💬 What do you think? 

Should businesses lower prices or focus on premium customers? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

ECONOMIC REALITY OF UNIVERSITY BUSINESSES

 Are University Businesses Struggling Economically?  

 Survey Reveals Key Trends

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By  loycedashingdetails | 25 February 2025

📌 Introduction: A Tough Market for Campus Businesses?

University campuses are more than just places of learning—they’re economic hubs filled with small businesses serving students, faculty, and staff. But are these businesses thriving or barely surviving?

To find out, I surveyed 50 local business operators, including store owners, café managers, and service providers. The results were clear: most businesses are struggling as student spending habits shift. Rising costs, digital payments, and economic pressures are reshaping the way campus businesses operate. Here’s what we uncovered.

📊 60% of Businesses Report a Drop in Sales

The biggest takeaway is that 6 in 10 businesses say their sales have declined over the past year. 60% reported lower revenue, 25% said their income was stable, and only 15% saw growth.

📉 “Foot traffic isn’t the same anymore. Students spend less, and online shopping takes away customers,” said one bookstore owner.

💡 Opinion Insert:
"Honestly, this isn’t surprising. Walking around campus, you can see fewer people stopping by these businesses. Between online shopping and rising prices, it makes sense that store owners are feeling the pressure."

So, what’s causing this decline? Business owners pointed to inflation driving up costs (45%), students shopping online instead of in-person (30%), and reduced campus activity due to flexible schedules (25%).

💰 How Much Are Students Spending? Most Stick to less than ₹100–₹500

Also asked business operators about average student spending per visit. The results showed that:

 40% of students spend between ₹100–₹500

 30% spend more than ₹500

 20% spend ₹501–₹1000

 and only 10% spend more than ₹1000

This suggests that students are increasingly budget-conscious, prioritizing necessities over luxury spending.

🔎 “We had to add more affordable options to the menu. Combo meals sell better now than premium dishes,” said a café owner.

💡 Opinion Insert:
"I can definitely relate to this. With the cost of everything going up, most students (including me) are sticking to a strict budget. Grabbing a quick snack or drink is fine, but splurging on bigger purchases? Not so much."

🛒 The Biggest Challenges Facing Campus Businesses Economically 

When asked about their biggest struggles, business operators pointed to high rent costs (50%), rising product prices due to inflation (40%), online competition (35%), and university policies that limit flexibility (25%).

💸 “Rent keeps going up, but our sales don’t. It’s tough to survive,” said a shopkeeper. Many businesses have started cutting costs—whether by reducing staff, limiting inventory, or downsizing operations.

💡 Opinion Insert:
"The fact that 50% of business owners struggle with rent is wild. You’d think there would be more efforts to support small businesses on campus, considering how much students rely on them."

💳 Recent Trends In Economy:Digital Payments Are Taking Over!

One positive trend is the rapid adoption of cashless payments. 70% of businesses reported a sharp increase in mobile and card transactions, while only 30% said cash was still dominant.

✔ “UPI is now our main payment method. Hardly anyone carries cash anymore,” said a food stall owner. This means businesses that embrace digital payments will likely perform better in the long run.

📢 What Needs to Change? Business Owners Speak Out

I asked business owners what could help them stay afloat and grow. Their top suggestions: lower rent costs (55%), financial aid or small business loans (40%), more university-led marketing support (35%), and relaxed vendor policies (30%).

💡 Opinion Insert:
"Maybe the university could step in with better policies or support. Imagine if they gave student discounts at campus businesses or ran promotions to encourage spending—wouldn’t that be a win-win?"

👥 What about students?

 Many businesses said that student loyalty and support could make a big difference.

🔮 What’s Next for Campus Businesses?

The survey shows that campus businesses are in a tough spot. While costs are rising and student spending is shifting, business owners are finding ways to adapt—whether through digital payments, discounts, or new pricing strategies. However, without better institutional support, many businesses may continue to struggle.

For students, these businesses are more than just stores—they’re part of daily campus life. Supporting them doesn’t always mean spending big, but even small choices—like choosing a local café over a delivery app—can make a difference. As spending habits evolve, the question remains: how can we balance affordability while keeping these businesses alive?

💡 Opinion Insert (Final Thoughts):
"At the end of the day, these businesses are part of student life. If we lose them, we lose the convenience and culture they bring to campus. It’s worth thinking about how we can support them—whether that’s choosing a campus café over a food delivery app or spreading the word about student-friendly businesses."

💬 What do you think?

Are students spending less?

 Should the university offer more support? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

📊 Want to participate in the survey?

🔗 https://forms.gle/8Tv9ujw5GJL6aVzX7

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