Heat, distrust slow India’s census as residents shut doors and withhold details

India’s nationwide census drive is facing major delays as extreme heat, low public awareness and rising privacy concerns disrupt door-to-door surveys across several states. From Delhi and Gurugram to Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, teachers, ASHA workers and government staff say residents are increasingly reluctant to share personal information, making the exercise slower and more difficult.

Across multiple states, field workers report residents refusing to open doors, withholding details on income and property, sharing incorrect phone numbers, and questioning why the government needs access to personal financial information. In several places, enumerators say they are spending hours outdoors in temperatures ranging between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius.

Delhi: Hesitation over personal data

In the national capital, census workers described widespread reluctance among residents to share personal information. Government school teachers assigned to surveys in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj said public awareness around the census remains low.

Many residents, they said, refuse to let enumerators inside their homes and often provide incomplete information, especially when asked about income and assets.

The challenge is sharper in affluent neighbourhoods, where many residents are away during the day and are more unwilling to discuss financial matters. While family details are usually shared, questions related to movable and immovable assets often go unanswered, making entire days of fieldwork unproductive.

In Delhi’s village pockets too, tensions have surfaced. Some residents reportedly reacted angrily when asked about property and assets, leading to arguments in certain localities.

Conditions were comparatively smoother in slum clusters, where workers said residents appeared more willing to cooperate, partly in the hope that census participation could improve access to future welfare schemes.

Several residents said off record that while questions on family size and caste seemed understandable, they did not understand why the government required details on income, homes and assets. Many feared such disclosures could invite scrutiny from tax or other agencies.

Officials said building public trust and awareness will be crucial for the exercise to move smoothly in the capital.

Kanpur: Teachers on duty during summer break

In Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, teachers deployed for census work said they have been conducting field visits despite summer vacations and intense heat.

One teacher said teams begin work around 6.30 am and return by noon to avoid peak temperatures. Initial hesitation is common, particularly in rural areas where residents often first ask whether the survey is linked to a government scheme.

Once officials explain that accurate census data helps shape welfare policies and emergency response planning, cooperation improves, workers said.

Teachers added that residents in villages tend to be more welcoming, often inviting them inside, while surveys in urban gated communities are frequently completed at the gate.

Digitally aware youth, officials noted, are helping reduce workloads by completing self-registration online.

Maharashtra: ASHA workers battle heat

In Maharashtra, thousands of ASHA workers have joined the census drive despite soaring temperatures.

Several workers said they are covering 10 to 12 households daily, spending nearly four hours in the field under harsh sunlight.

One worker, identified only as Patil, said she is responsible for surveying nearly 900 people. Being a local resident helps build trust, she said, though hesitation over sharing personal details remains common.

Workers also flagged technical glitches in online self-registration, saying several forms contained errors that had to be manually corrected. Server outages, they added, often interrupt the process.

Despite the challenges, most residents are eventually cooperating, they said.

Gurugram: Mistrust and digital fraud fears

In Gurugram, census teams said public mistrust has emerged as a major hurdle.

Bhagwan Singh, a teacher surveying Sarai Alawardi village, said many residents, especially tenants and less educated households, initially view census staff with suspicion.

“In the era of digital fraud, people are afraid of sharing personal information,” he said.

In affluent neighbourhoods such as Sector 11, many residents are reluctant to open their doors, though some eventually invite workers in and offer water after seeing them work in the heat.

Officials said teams have been instructed to remain patient and avoid intimidating residents.

Gorakhpur and Chandauli: Villages more cooperative

In Gorakhpur’s Mangalpur Bharohiya area, teachers said many villagers initially questioned why the census was being conducted and what purpose it served.

Cooperation has improved gradually, though some still hesitate to disclose full details, especially regarding private assets and vehicles.

In neighbouring Chandauli, workers said villagers were largely cooperative, while residents in newly developed colonies were more guarded and less willing to share personal information.

Officials said QR-enabled ID cards have helped build trust.

Punjab: Families withhold details

In Punjab’s Ferozepur, teachers said around 80% of households were cooperating, while the remaining 20% remained hesitant.

Some families were allegedly concealing the number of household members, while others objected to questions about property and vehicles or provided incorrect mobile numbers.

In Pathankot, officials reported better overall cooperation, though reluctance over asset-related questions persisted.

Bhopal and Sonipat: Heat takes toll

In Bhopal, census workers said dehydration, fever and physical exhaustion have become common among staff conducting door-to-door visits.

Workers there said they are covering nearly 80 to 100 households daily.

In Haryana’s Sonipat, teachers said many families fear that revealing higher incomes or ownership of four-wheelers could result in the loss of pensions or ration benefits, prompting them to underreport assets.

Due to the heatwave, workers said they are managing only four hours of fieldwork daily and covering just 20 to 25 households.

A nationwide challenge

Across states, one message is consistent: while the census continues, the biggest barriers are not logistical alone. Rising temperatures, digital-age mistrust and anxiety over personal data are forcing enumerators to spend as much time building trust as collecting information. For many on the ground, the challenge is no longer just counting people, but convincing them to be counted.