RBI begins inflation, consumer confidence surveys ahead of October policy review

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday launched three surveys to assess household inflation expectations and consumer sentiment ahead of its next bi-monthly monetary policy announcement, scheduled for October 7.

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The September round of the Inflation Expectations Survey of Households will collect households’ views on current and future price movements based on their individual consumption baskets. The survey will cover respondents in 19 cities.

The RBI also launched the Urban Consumer Confidence Survey, which seeks qualitative responses on the general economic environment, employment conditions, price levels, household income and spending. This survey will be conducted across the same 19 urban centres.

The cities covered are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram.

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Alongside the two urban surveys, the central bank has begun the latest round of its Rural Consumer Confidence Survey. It will capture households’ current perceptions and expectations for the next one year regarding the broader economy, employment, prices, income and expenditure.

The rural survey will cover rural and semi-urban areas across 31 states and Union Territories, giving policymakers a wider view of sentiment beyond major cities.

The surveys do not represent the RBI’s own assessment. Instead, their findings provide supplementary inputs for monetary policy by indicating how households perceive inflation and economic conditions—and whether those expectations are changing.

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