The Citizens Survey on Healthcare in India

The pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in India is particularly challenging given the country's vast population and pronounced socioeconomic disparities. Although extensive research addresses specific healthcare areas, contemporary data on citizens' healthcare access, quality, and preferences to inform UHC design are lacking. To bridge this gap, the Lancet Citizens' Commission on Reimagining India's Health System conducted a Citizens Survey from November 2022 to April 2023, interviewing respondents in person from 50,000 randomly selected households across 125 districts in 29 Indian states and Union Territories in the country. The survey comprised 141 questions covering healthcare utilization, experiences, costs, satisfaction, delivery preferences, insurance coverage, willingness to pay, health information behaviors, technology use, aspirational health norms, and electoral attitudes towards health. The survey had a high participation rate (98%) and a low non-response rate (9.5%), 70% of households were rural, 56% of respondents were male, 79% were Hindu, and 39% identified as Scheduled Caste or Tribes. The data aim to inform citizen-centric reforms, advancing a UHC responsive to India's diverse population needs.