Since 1967, CSDS has been conducting sample surveys at the time of elections to study voter behaviour and attitudes at the National and State levels. Lokniti’s National Election Studies coupled with State Election Studies conducted in most of the states during the Vidhan Sabha or assembly elections have resulted in the creation of a rich data archive that can be used by researchers to study and understand the history of voting behavior in India.

National Election Studies

The National Election Study (NES) is a large-scale nationwide survey of voters’ opinions and attitudes conducted by Lokniti-CSDS during Lok Sabha elections. The NES series, which now includes surveys carried out in 1967, 1971, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 is the most comprehensive information database of social and political change in India and these surveys have been cited as well as used extensively as a source for political science research. Three of these studies (2004, 2009 and 2014) were done with large sample sizes that allowed for State-wise analysis. The questionnaires and reports for the National Election Studies can be found here. 

State Election Studies

Allied to the NES, Lokniti has also done a large number of election studies at the time of Vidhan Sabha elections during past twenty years, involving a majority of the states. In fact, Lokniti has missed studying only a few Assembly elections since 1995. The State Election Studies cover various facets of state-level electoral politics, keeping in mind the importance of local level issues and the intricate interplay of various factors. Our studies cover a wide sample, ensuring representativeness of the state’s electorate in order to gather the true sense from the field. The questionnaires and reports for the State Election Studies can be found here.