RBI launches 3 surveys to capture inflation expectations, consumer confidence ahead of December policy meeting

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday announced the launch of three surveys to assess households' inflation expectations and gauge consumer confidence, the findings of which serve as important inputs for the central bank's bi-monthly monetary policy decisions.

The central bank has initiated the November 2026 round of its Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH), which seeks to capture people's perceptions of price movements and inflation based on their individual consumption baskets.

The survey will cover 19 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram.


The RBI has also launched its Urban Consumer Confidence Survey, which gathers qualitative responses from households on their assessment of the general economic situation, employment prospects, price levels, income and spending.

This survey will also be conducted across the same 19 cities.

The third exercise, the Rural Consumer Confidence Survey, will capture households' current perceptions and one-year-ahead expectations on the overall economic situation, employment conditions, price levels, income and spending. It will cover rural and semi-urban households across 31 states and Union Territories.

The RBI conducts all three surveys periodically, with their findings providing inputs for its monetary policy assessments.

The next meeting of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is scheduled to be held from December 2 to 4, 2026.