EconomyReserve Bank of India · official
RBI launches the November 2026 round of the Inflation Expectations Survey of Households
BANKING · UPSC · SSC
RBI launched the November 2026 Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH) on 3 November 2026. The survey covers 19 cities and asks about households’ assessments and expectations of prices; this launch notice does not report new inflation results.
Exam-ready takeaways
- IESH records subjective price assessments based on households’ own consumption baskets, rather than replacing a published consumer-price index.
- Qualitative expectations cover three months ahead and one year ahead; quantitative responses cover current inflation and both forward horizons.
- RBI describes the responses as an input to monetary policy. Hansa Research Group Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai conducts this round.
Understand this event
Inflation expectations: what this survey can tell you
AI-assisted learning notes · source review dated 4 November 2026. Source coverage and access limits are stated below. These notes have not been individually fact-checked by a person. How we prepare and correct material.
The important news is the launch of a survey round, not a fresh inflation reading. Distinguish the date on which households are asked questions from a later release reporting their answers.
The survey has two forward-looking horizons: three months and one year. Current quantitative assessments provide a reference point, while the forward responses describe what respondents expect prices to do.
A household’s consumption basket affects how it perceives inflation. A subjective expectation and an observed aggregate price index answer different questions; do not describe the survey response as the official CPI inflation rate.
For revision, make a four-part record: RBI, IESH, 19 cities, and the three-month/one-year horizons. Administrative phone numbers are for participation queries, not the central economic finding.
Check your understanding
Does this launch notice announce a measured inflation rate?
No. It launches the November 2026 survey.
A survey launch, its eventual responses and an observed price-index result are separate pieces of information.
Which two forward horizons does the survey use?
Three months ahead and one year ahead.
Keep both horizons with the survey name; an answer about current inflation alone misses its expectations component.
Why should an IESH response not be labelled a CPI reading?
It is a subjective household assessment based on its own consumption basket.
The source describes expectations and perceptions; it does not substitute a survey answer for an aggregate index.
Sources for these notes
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