This report presents initial findings from the second round of the Young Lives household and child survey which was carried out in late 2006 to early 2007. It does not aim to give a comprehensive overview of all the findings from Young Lives, rather it gives an broad outline of the some of the key indicators of childhood poverty and changes that have taken place in the children’s lives between the first round of data collection in 2002 and this second round.

Andhra Pradesh has achieved considerable progress on child development indicators since the mid-1990s. But despite this growth, significant disparities remain, based on sector (rural versus urban), caste and region. The discussion and analysis presented in this report, although preliminary, give important insights into trends between the two rounds of research, key factors affecting children in Andhra Pradesh and the extent of inequalities between children of different groups. The analysis enables us to pinpoint policy implications for tackling childhood poverty in India as well as important and interesting avenues for future research.

The data reflect the growth and poverty reduction witnessed in recent years and there is evidence that the Young Lives households have become better off over the four years of the survey. However, inequalities in wealth, consumption expenditure, between castes, between urban and rural areas, and between different regions of AP, are reflected in the Young Lives sample.