Determination of factors of Social Exclusion using Principal Component Analysis in tribal context of Kerala

Social exclusion is a much debated topic across the globe. It is conceived as a multidimensional concept, explaining the non- material part of deprivation. An attempt was made in this study to operationalize the concept of social exclusion in the tribal context of Kerala and to identify the factors contributing to this social phenomenon using Principal Component Analysis. The study was conducted in Adiya tribal community residing in Mananthavady block of Wayanad district of Kerala. Responses were collected from 100 Adiyas living in three villages, regarding the extent to which exclusion was felt by them. Principal component analysis was run on the data collected and three factors namely tribal characteristics, risk factor and socio – economic factor that explained a total variance of 78.24 per cent towards social exclusion were identified.