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From assets to amenities: Make your answers count as Census 2027 begins in Uttar Pradesh today

The May 7-21 self-enumeration process will be followed by house-listing and housing census activities from May 22 to June 20

Published on: May 7, 2026, 07:54:14 IST
By , Lucknow
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People should prepare to answer 33 questions ranging from house ownership to gas connections and other amenities as the first phase of Census 2027 begins in Uttar Pradesh with the self-enumeration exercise on Thursday.

During the house-listing and housing census process, enumerators will visit houses with 33 questions. The government has already notified the questions in January 2026. (REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE)
During the house-listing and housing census process, enumerators will visit houses with 33 questions. The government has already notified the questions in January 2026. (REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE)

The questions pertain to the material used in construction of the house, its ownership and the number of married couples living there and other subjects. Each question will have multiple options. For instance, the question on the floor material will have the options: mud, wood/ bamboo, burnt brick, stone, cement, mosaic/ tiles or any other material.

There will also be queries on whether the respondent is in a live-in relationship, the drinking water sources, lighting, toilets, whether the kitchen has an LPG or PNG connection, as well as assets owned by the family, including radio, transistor, TV, internet, laptop, computer, smartphone, scooter, motorcycle, car, SUV or MUV.

People will also have to give information about the main cereal consumed in the household.

The May 7-21 self-enumeration process will be followed by house-listing and housing census activities from May 22 to June 20.

During the house-listing and housing census process, enumerators will visit houses with 33 questions. The government has already notified the questions in January 2026.

Census 2027 is the first one to be conducted by digital means, replacing a paper survey with mobile-based data collection. Equipped with the HLO App, enumerators will visit each household to collect replies to queries.

After marking the house number, the enumerator will ask about the main material used in construction of the floor.

If the drawing room has a mosaic floor and other rooms have cement, the enumerator will mark cement as the main material. If the bathroom floor has cement and other rooms have mosaic, it will be marked as mosaic/ floor tiles. If granite and marble have been used in the flooring, it will be marked as stone.

The next question will be on the material used in the walls and options include grass, thatch, bamboo, plastic, polythene, mud, unburnt brick, wood, stone not packed with mortar, stone packed with mortar, GI, metal, asbestos sheets, burnt brick, concrete or other material.

The options for roofing materials include grass, thatch, bamboo, wood, mud, plastic, polythene, hand-made tiles, machine-made tiles, burnt bricks, stone, slate, metal, asbestos sheets, or concrete.

The enumerator will also ascertain if the house is used for residential purpose, as residence-cum-shop/office, school, college, hotel, lodge, guest house, hospital/dispensary, factory, workshop, workshed, place of worship, other non-residential purposes, or if the house is vacant.

Residential premises used as an old age home, hostel, boarding house, rescue home, lodge, ashram, guest house or leprosy home will be marked as institutional households.

Houses used as places of entertainment and community gathering will be marked as non-residential.

The enumerator will also note whether the house is in a good condition, livable or dilapidated. If there is more than one household in a census house, each household will be given a separate number.

There will also be a query on the total number of persons normally residing in the household, including persons absent on the day of the visit.

The name and gender of the head of the household will be recorded, along with whether the person belongs to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes.

The enumerator will also ask about the ownership of the house. The number of dwelling rooms in the household will also be recorded – living room , bedroom, dining room, drawing room, study room, servants’ room and other similar rooms.

Multi-purpose rooms used for sleeping, cooking, bathing, dining, storing and sitting will be considered dwelling rooms. Dwelling rooms shared by more than one household will not be counted.

The enumerators will count the number of married couples and those in a live-in relationship in the household.

There will also be questions on amenities in the household, including the drinking water source, lighting, access to toilets and their type (whether exclusive or shared).

The enumerator will also ask whether the household’s wastewater outlet is connected to closed drainage or open drainage and whether the house has a bathroom or uses an enclosure without a roof for bathing.

Residents will be asked if the house has a kitchen with an LPG/PNG connection or not and whether meals are cooked within an enclosed space or in the open.

There will also be questions on the household’s assets, including traditional radio set, radio service accessed on mobile / smartphone, car stereo or other devices.

The enumerator will also ask if the family possesses a television and how it is watched – through Doordarshan Free Dish, Other DTH/ Dish or cable Connection.

The enumerator will enquire if the household has internet access through telephone lines, digital subscriber line, cable, wireless, satellite, or cellular mode and whether the internet is accessed on a mobile/smartphone or any other device.

Some other questions include: If the household has a laptop, notebook, or desktop computer for use by one or more members. Whether the household has only a landline or only a mobile phone (smartphone or other basic mobile). If the household has a bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, or moped. If the family possesses a car, jeep, van, multi-utility vehicle, sports utility vehicle, or sports car.

The family will be asked about cereal consumption: whether it is homegrown or purchased and whether it mainly consists of rice or rice-based products like ‘chirwa’, ‘khoi’, ‘lawa’, ‘muri’ and rice powder.

The enumerator will also ask whether the family members consume wheat or wheat products, including maida, rawa, suji.

There will also be a question on whether the family consumes jowar, bajra, maize or any other cereal like oats, barley, ragi and small millets.

  • Rajesh Kumar Singh
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rajesh Kumar Singh

    Rajesh Kumar Singh is Assistant Editor, Hindustan Times, at the political bureau in Lucknow. An Alumnus of Ramjas College, Delhi and the University of Delhi, he has covered politics in the Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for three decades and has written extensively on Dalit and OBC politics. He travelled across Uttar Pradesh to cover the panchayat, assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Along with writing on development issues, governance and public policy has done crime reporting, including Maoist activities in Bihar as well as activities of gangsters in East Uttar Pradesh, Jungle Party gang active on UP- Bihar border, dacoit gangs in Bundelkhand region and Sand Mafia active in various districts of UP. Has done investigations and reporting exposing multi-crore NRHM scam in UP, Nutrition scam, Medicine supply scam, irregularities in the flood management projects, weapon smuggling and human trafficking on Indo- Nepal border. He highlighted the deaths of children due to encephalitis in the districts of East Uttar Pradesh; the central and state government took cognisance of the report to launch schemes to check deaths and improve the facilities in the health centres and hospitals. He also reported on the social issues in East Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand- migration, farming crisis, water crisis, plight of the deprived communities- Musahar, Vantongiyas, Sahariya and Kol communities. He covers state government departments. He also travels to write human-interest stories and in-depth stories from the ground in the Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, and Rohilkhand regions of Uttar Pradesh.Read More