74% Urban Indians Seek Rule-breaking Leader For India's Reform: Ipsos Survey

About seven in 10 urban Indians polled (73 per cent) believe that our system is broken, according to Ipsos Global Advisor Populism in 2024 Survey.

Further, there is a sentiment of lack of a level playing field with at least 71 per cent of urban Indians feeling the economy is rigged to favour the rich and powerful. About 54 per cent of Indians believe our society is broken. And 54 per cent of Indians also believe the country is in decline, the study added.

The common man seems quite excluded in the complete scheme of things – 72 per cent say traditional parties and politicians do not care about them; while 73 per cent feel experts in the country do not understand their lives and 74 per cent believe political and economic elite don’t care about hardworking people. The grouse of the common man was with the lack of fairness, with 74 per cent of the view that there was a glaring divide in society between the ordinary citizen and the political and economic elite. Similar view was held by citizens of Hungary (80 per cent), South Africa (79 per cent) and France (77 per cent). 

About 74 per cent of citizens believe we need a strong leader who is willing to break the rules, to fix the country and take the country back from the rich and powerful. Urban Indians also had strong views on political discourse with 74 per cent of those polled being of the view that most important political issues in India should be decided directly by the people, through referendums and not by the elected officials. This view was most pronounced in India across all the 28 markets covered in the survey, and some of the other top markets emerging included Thailand (73 per cent), Hungary (69 per cent) and South Korea (69 per cent).    

Opinion about governments

Should the government increase taxes to pay for any additional spending? While 40 per cent agreed (highest globally), 32 per cent disagreed, 15 per cent were unsure and 13 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed. Most markets disagreed with increase in taxes to provide govt with additional funds for spending, esp in Hungary (74 per cent), South Africa (72 per cent) and Colombia (68 per cent). 

The survey also factored in views of citizens on what govt should increase their spends on: 63 per cent Indians endorsed increase in spends by govt on Infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail and air networks, water, electricity and broadband); 65 per cent citizens want govt to spend more on Education (schools, universities, job training); 65 per cent citizens want govt to increase spends on Public Safety (law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services); 66 per cent citizens want govt to increase spends on Defense and National Security (e.g. military); 66 per cent of urban Indians want govt to increase spends on Creating Jobs and 60 per cent  Indians want the govt to increase spends for Reducing Poverty and Social Inequality. 

Summarising on the findings of the survey, Parijat Chakraborty, Group Service Line Leader, Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation, CSR & ESG said, "The common man believes the system is broken and society is broken. There is this accentuated feeling that power and privileges rest with the political and the elite and they get a short shrift. And they largely believe the society is divided, between the common citizens and the politicians and the elite. For an emerging, growth oriented market like India, citizens want govt to increase spends on infrastructure, education, public safety, defense and national security, job creation and reducing poverty and social inequality."