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Participants were asked to choose between paired policy options while revealing clear inclinations. 70% of people preferred free health care and education for the poor over public infrastructure. Two-thirds supported tax relief for the middle class over cash transfers. Similarly, more than 70% preferred developing villages rather than building cities, and a similar share leaned towards income-based reservations in private jobs rather than caste-based jobs.
The July survey was the 12th in the series. peppermint Runs twice a year with YouGov India and Delhi-based think tank Center for Policy Research. It involved 10,314 respondents from more than 200 towns and cities and was conducted online. About 45% of the respondents were post-millennials (Gen Z, born after 1996), and 39% were millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).
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More respondents preferred raising taxes for large companies (63%) than an inheritance tax (37%), and more government jobs for youth than enabling private businesses to create more jobs (43%). (57%) gave priority to production. About 53% said the government should focus on reducing the rich-poor gap (53%) more than high economic growth (47%). The nearly 50-50 split suggests the view was not as one-sided as most other questions. There was also a near-half split on keeping fuel prices low (51%) versus promoting public transportation (49%).
class gap
Opinions varied greatly depending on respondents’ self-perceived financial situation. Among those who considered themselves wealthy, their preferences were roughly divided on most questions. However, for those identifying as middle class or poor, the choices were more decisive, leaning more toward specific choices.
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We asked similar questions two years ago, and the responses were largely the same – with one notable change. Support for free health care and education for the poor has increased from 59% to 70%, compared to public infrastructure. Meanwhile, the preference for cash transfers over low income tax relief has fallen from 47% to 33%.
Despite the increasing trend of political parties promising subsidies, India’s digital natives in urban areas appear less convinced by such offers.
budget challenge
The survey invited respondents to allocate a hypothetical government budget 100 in five welfare policies. Receiving an average allocation of “Improvement in the condition of hospitals and schools” tops the list 24. This “created conditions for more government jobs” ( 23), “Investment in public infrastructure” ( 21), “Incentives for the development of large businesses” ( 17), and “direct cash transfers to the poor” ( 16).
The emphasis on hospitals and schools is consistent with another finding from Part 4 of this series, where a significant portion of respondents supported free or heavily subsidized education and health care. Once again, the survey indicates limited support for direct cash transfers to the poor.
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impact on vote
Do personal economic concerns determine views on government performance? The analysis shows that there is a clear correlation between how respondents valued the last two terms of the Bharatiya Janata Party government and their perceived difficulty in finding a job.
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Currently, 47% of urban Indians say it is “difficult” to find a job, significantly up from 34% in December 2022, when the same question was last asked in the survey. Perception of hardship increased most among post-millennials, rising from 35% to 51%, and among women from 36% to 51%, while among men it increased from 32% to 44%. It was reportedly hardest to find jobs in medium-sized cities, followed by tier-III cities.
Of the respondents who found it difficult to find a job, 27% described both terms of the government as “equally good”, while another 27% preferred the first term. About 22% thought both conditions were equally bad—the highest dissatisfaction rate among groups based on jobs—with respondents facing job difficulties being most likely to give the government’s 10-year record a negative (22%) rating. The probability was five times higher among those who found it easier to find a job (4%).
The survey suggests a noticeable priority for public goods, more jobs and tax reforms. The reason for less inclination towards the private sector may be that it has become difficult to find jobs across demographics and regions. However, as the government enters its third term, it will be concerned about the link between voting choices and individual economic concerns.
(The author is associated with CPR, New Delhi.)
This is the seventh and final part of the series on the findings of the 12th round of the survey. Previous sections included political attitudes, middle-class aspirations, social media use, views on welfare policies, and healthy eating habits. These surveys are skewed towards urban, affluent netizens, with 90% of respondents falling under the NCCS-A socio-economic category.
Part 1 (14 October): The 2024 elections changed the electoral pitch – but only a little
Part 2 (15 October): Understanding the political flaws of urban India
Part 3 (21 October): India’s middle-class puzzle: How much do you need to be called rich?
Part 4 (22 October): India’s freebie paradox: Voters hate it but want some things for free
Part 5 (28 October): How social media fueled politics and strained relationships during the 2024 elections
Part 6 (29 October): The Great Indian Diet Challenge: Do we really know what is healthy?
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