India's 2027 Caste Census to Use Open-Ended Format Without Drop-Down Options
The 2027 caste census in India will use an open-ended format, requiring respondents to state their caste without selecting from predefined options. This approach, confirmed by the Registrar General of India and Ministry of Home Affairs officials, mirrors the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census method, which faced challenges due to inconsistent data and lack of standardization. The census will be conducted alongside population enumeration, starting in September in difficult terrains and February nationwide, with enumerators recording caste identities verbatim without categorization.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. Coverage leans balanced overall (Left 31%, Centre 69%, Right 0%). Overall sentiment is neutral (48/100). Lens Score 51/100.
Outlets measured: opindia, indianexpress. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
All 1 outlets scored close to centre on political lean. The real divergence here is in emphasis, not lean — compare the headlines below to see how each outlet chose to frame the same facts.
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (45–50/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
indianexpress broke this story on 8 Aug, 11:04 pm. Other outlets followed.