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- The Reserve Bank of India has launched the November 2026 round of its Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH).
- The survey covers 19 cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
- It captures qualitative views on price changes three months and one year ahead, plus quantitative responses on current, three-month-ahead and one-year-ahead inflation rates.
- Mumbai-based Hansa Research Group Pvt. Ltd. has been engaged to conduct the survey on the RBI’s behalf.
- The RBI said the results provide useful inputs for monetary policy.
The Reserve Bank of India has kicked off the November 2026 round of its Inflation Expectations Survey of Households, a long-running exercise that feeds directly into the central bank’s monetary policy deliberations. The announcement was made through an official press release, with the survey schedule published on the RBI’s website.
What the Survey Measures
The IESH is designed to capture subjective assessments of price movements and inflation based on households’ individual consumption baskets. Rather than relying solely on official price indices, the survey gauges how ordinary consumers perceive inflation in their daily lives — a distinction the RBI considers important because expectations can influence wage demands, spending decisions and, ultimately, actual inflation outcomes. The current round spans 19 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram. The geographic spread covers major metros as well as state capitals across the country, giving the RBI a broad read on sentiment.
Qualitative and Quantitative Responses
The survey seeks two types of input from households. Qualitatively, respondents are asked about expected price changes — both for general prices and for specific product groups — over the three months ahead and the one year ahead. Quantitatively, they provide their views on current inflation rates as well as expected rates three months and one year out.
How Households Can Participate
Mumbai-based Hansa Research Group Pvt. Ltd. has been engaged to conduct this round on behalf of the RBI. Selected households will be approached directly by the agency and are requested to respond. Individuals not approached by the agency can still take part by using the survey schedule linked on the RBI’s website and emailing the filled-in form using the contact details provided in the release. Queries can be directed to the Director, Division of Household Surveys, Department of Statistics and Information Management, Reserve Bank of India, at the RBI’s Bandra-Kurla Complex address in Mumbai, by phone, or by email at dhs@rbi.org.in. The release was issued by Ajit Prasad, Deputy General Manager (Communications), under Press Release 2026-2027/1429.
Why It Matters for Policy
Inflation expectations are a key transmission channel for monetary policy. If households expect prices to rise faster, those expectations can become self-fulfilling as consumers bring forward purchases and workers seek higher wages. The RBI’s survey results therefore offer policymakers a real-time gauge of sentiment that complements hard data on consumer prices. The central bank has consistently cited the survey as a useful input for its rate-setting decisions, and the November round will add to the historical series that tracks how household inflation perceptions evolve over time.
Sources: rbi.org.in · TLT Newsroom · The Economic Times · Rediff MoneyWiz · ET Government