Household Survey on Energy Use and Dietary Quality in India, 2024

Law, Cherry and Zanello, Giacomo and Gowdru, Nithya (2025). Household Survey on Energy Use and Dietary Quality in India, 2024. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-857801

Recently both energy and food prices have been skyrocketing across the world. These rising prices are likely to force disadvantaged households to make difficult trade-offs between food and modern energy (e.g. electricity, liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene and etc), leading to lower food security and heavier reliance on polluting but cheaper fuels like wood, charcoal, oranimal waste. Despite the close connection between household energy use and their diet, little is known about the dynamics behind this energy-food link, largely due to the lack of appropriate household level data. This exploratory research project aims to develop and pilot a comprehensive survey instrument in Telangana, India, to assess the energy-food link on a granular level.

Data description (abstract)

The survey gathered detailed information on household energy use, food consumption in rural and urban communities in Telangana with the aim to provide a detailed picture of how households navigate food and energy-related challenges in their everyday lives.
It covered multiple areas, including demographic composition, decision-making processes related to food and fuel, and the affordability and accessibility of essential resources.

A key focus was on household energy use, assessing sources of lighting, the reliability of electricity supply, and the types of fuels used for cooking. The survey also explored how households respond to fluctuations in energy prices, particularly how rising costs influence cooking practices and energy choices.
In addition to energy use, the survey examined dietary diversity, focusing on type of food consumed in the day before and how they were prepared.

Respondents provided insights into their reliance on different food sources, the impact of price changes on their diets, and how constraints in cooking fuel availability influenced meal preparation. A food security module assessed periods of food scarcity, meal-skipping behaviours, and strategies used to manage financial and energy constraints.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Law Cherry	University of Reading	https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0686-1998
Zanello Giacomo	University of Reading	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0477-1385
Gowdru Nithya	National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj