Challenges Faced by Nomadic Communities with Special Reference to Coimbatore City

Purpose: This empirical study examines the social, economic, educational, health, housing, documentation, and welfare-access challenges experienced by nomadic and semi-nomadic people living in Coimbatore City. It identifies the most pressing constraints and validates a structural model linking structural barriers, economic insecurity, social exclusion, and well-being outcomes.Method: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was executed with a validated empirical sample of 300 adult respondents recruited through community-informed mapping and stratified sampling across selected urban locations. A structured questionnaire using five-point Likert items measured structural barriers, economic insecurity, social exclusion, access to services, and well-being. Analyses include frequencies, means, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), correlations, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).