Survey Shows Push For Caste Census Reflects Broad Public Demand, Not Limited to Party Agendas
On April 30, the Modi government made a landmark announcement: it would conduct a nationwide caste census to advance social justice and ensure policy precision.
This decision marks the culmination of a decades-long political demand. Although the government has yet to disclose the detailed methodology or timeline for the census, the announcement has already sparked intense political debate. Both the ruling BJP and opposition parties are now scrambling to claim credit for the move.
This development has significantly reshaped the current political narrative. Many political analysts argue that the BJP has strategically appropriated one of the opposition’s strongest platforms, potentially neutralising their ideological advantage. While some believe the ruling party has walked into the opposition’s trap, others argue that Prime Minister Modi has deftly seized control of the caste discourse, leaving the opposition with fewer options.
Though the announcement may seem sudden, three major reasons suggest it was inevitable:
- Historical lag in data collection: Despite the existence of caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions, India has not conducted a caste census since 1931. The demand for updated caste data has been a longstanding issue, especially among regional parties such as the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party.
- Renewed push by the Congress: The demand gained new momentum in 2023 when Rahul Gandhi began vocally advocating for a caste census. This marked the first time in India's political history that a top leader of one of the two major national parties publicly supported the idea. Congress-led states soon followed suit, with Telangana notably completing and releasing its caste data report.
- Broad political consensus: Except for the BJP, most major political parties have supported the call for a caste census. Even key BJP allies – such as the Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) – have backed the initiative. In Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar has already conducted and published caste data, further normalising the demand.
Beyond political motivations, public sentiment also supports the move. The Data Action Lab for Emerging Societies (DALES) conducted four major surveys over the past year – one for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and three during assembly elections in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Delhi.
In each survey, respondents were asked: “Do you believe we should have a caste census?” The results indicated that a majority of people across these regions favoured such a measure.
DALES is an independent, non-partisan organisation dedicated to producing high-quality research, informing public policy and fostering meaningful public dialogue on critical issues affecting life in India. As part of our mission, our surveys consistently explore a range of themes, including political preferences, access to welfare benefits, women’s empowerment and pressing sociopolitical topics such as the caste census.
Mood of the nation on counting caste during the Lok Sabha election
To understand public sentiment on the caste census, we posed a straightforward question to respondents: “Do you believe we should have a caste census?” This inquiry was included in all our major surveys, including the Indian Election Study (IES) conducted during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The IES was a post-poll study designed to capture a representative snapshot of voter attitudes across the country. The sample was drawn from 200 randomly selected parliamentary constituencies (PCs) across 20 key states in India, covering a total of 1,600 polling booths and targeting 38,400 respondents. These 20 states collectively account for 513 out of 543 parliamentary constituencies nationwide. Among the 200 selected PCs, 33 were reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 16 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
A systematic random sampling with replacement technique was employed to select four assembly constituencies (ACs) within each PC, resulting in a total of 800 ACs. From each AC, two polling booths (PBs) were randomly chosen. Within each booth, 24 respondents were selected through a random process.
To ensure the smooth execution of the survey, enumerators were provided with a face page containing essential information, including the names of the PC, AC and PB, along with lists of selected and replacement respondents (with three replacements designated for each respondent). This system ensured adherence to the sampling design and minimised selection bias.
Additionally, electoral rolls were used for each polling booth to reduce post-estimation errors and to maintain accurate tracking of respondents throughout the survey process.
The results of the DALES–IES survey reveal strong public support for the caste census.
Sixty-two percent of respondents expressed the view that a caste census should be conducted, indicating that nearly two-thirds of the sample is in favour.
In contrast, only 19% opposed the idea, while the remainder of respondents either declined to answer or did not take a clear position (see Chart 1).
Chart 1: India says ‘yes’ to the caste census. Note: All figures are percentages and rounded off. Data source: DALES-IES 2024. N = 36,222. The question asked was ‘Do you believe we should have a caste census?’
To gain deeper insights, we examined state-level variations in responses to the same question. The data indicate that in most states, support for the caste census exceeds 50%, except for Assam, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Among the states with the highest support, Chhattisgarh leads the way, with over 75% of respondents in favour, followed closely by Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha and Maharashtra.
In contrast, support is significantly lower in Assam, where only 27% of respondents favoured conducting a caste census (see Chart 2).
Chart 2: State-wise breakdown of support for a caste census. Note: All figures are percentages and rounded off. Data source: DALES-IES 2024. N = 36,222. The figures in the chart represent only those who answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you believe we should have a caste census?’.
Public opinion on the caste census during assembly elections
In addition to the Lok Sabha elections, DALES conducted surveys during the 2024 state assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra, as well as the 2025 assembly election in Delhi. The sample sizes for these surveys were approximately 3,200 in Jharkhand, 4,000 in Maharashtra and 2,200 in Delhi.
In Jharkhand, support for the caste census was notably high, with over two-thirds of respondents in favour of and only 17% opposed to it.
In Maharashtra, 60% of respondents supported the caste census, while 21% expressed opposition.
In contrast, opinion in Delhi was more evenly split. Here, 39% of respondents opposed the caste census, two percentage points higher than those who supported it, indicating closely divided public opinion on the issue (see Chart 3).
Chart 3: Support for the caste census in recent state assembly elections. Note: All figures are percentages and rounded off. The rest did not express their opinion. Sample size = Maharashtra (3,943), Jharkhand (3,293) and Delhi (2,162). The question asked was: ‘Do you believe we should have a caste census?’ Data source: DALES.
To delve deeper into public opinion, we analysed the responses of those who answered ‘yes’ to the question: ‘Do you believe we should have a caste census?’ The findings offer some important insights.
Upper castes across these states are the least likely to support the idea of a caste census. In Maharashtra and Jharkhand, only around 50% of upper-caste respondents supported the caste census, while nearly two-thirds of historically marginalised groups (such as SCs, STs and OBCs) were in favour.
In Delhi, support among upper-caste respondents was significantly lower, with only 28% believing a caste census should be conducted.
Even among OBC respondents in Delhi, support was below 50% (see Chart 4).
It’s worth noting that Delhi has a relatively high proportion of upper-caste residents and is also India’s only fully urbanised state, factors that may influence these attitudes.
Chart 4: Who supports the caste census? A caste-category breakdown. Note: All figures are percentages and rounded off. Figures are only among those who said ‘yes’ to the question - ‘Do you believe we should have a caste census?’ Data source: DALES.
Conclusion
This analysis makes it clear that the push for a caste census is not limited to political leaders or party agendas. Rather, it reflects a broader public demand.
It’s possible that the Modi government has responded to this grassroots sentiment, deciding to move forward before further delay.
While BJP supporters may credit Prime Minister Modi for initiating the census, Congress supporters may credit Rahul Gandhi for his persistent advocacy, and regional party supporters may back their leaders, the reality is that people on the ground want a caste census, a way to better understand who is where and what their social status truly is.
Counting castes is just a starting point. While the act of conducting a caste census is critical in itself, the implications of the data could reshape political discourse in India’s electoral landscape.
Ashish Ranjan is a co-founder of DALES. Atul Kumar Pandey is an election researcher.
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