Inequality Concerns Lower In India Compared to Other Countries: Report

Only four in 10 urban Indians polled said inequality is a problem in India, according to the Ipsos Equalities Index 2024. In comparison, 52 per cent of global citizens felt they were experiencing inequality. Notably, inequality was perceived as a bigger issue in Indonesia (79 per cent), Brazil (74 per cent), Colombia (70 per cent), Turkey (70 per cent), Thailand (70 pe cent), South Africa (69 per cent), Mexico (63 per cent), Peru (62 per cent), South Korea (60 per cent), Argentina (58 per cent), Chile (56 per cent), Hungary (55 percent), Malaysia (54 percent), Spain (53 percent), and France (52 percent).

The survey also explored whether equality has been adequately promoted or requires more effort. Globally, 47 per cent, especially in Indonesia (73 per cent), Hungary (70 per cent), South Africa (62 per cent), and Brazil (61 per cent), believed more needs to be done to promote equality. However, only 22 per cent of Indians held this view.

Discrimination in Society
The survey showed that discrimination in society existed and there were groups experiencing unfair or unequal treatment in the country. For India, women emerged the most discriminated group (35 per cent), followed by transgender or non-binary people (20 per cent), people with physical disabilities (18 per cent), people with mental health conditions (17 per cent), young adults (15 per cent), men (15 per cent), people from minority ethnic groups (14 per cent), people of specific religions (14 per cent), senior citizens (14 per cent), lesbians, gay men or bisexuals (13 per cent), immigrants (12 per cent)  and people who are neuro divergent (10 per cent) as the groups likely to experience most unfair treatment in India.

Accountability for addressing inequality
To make the society fair to all and to reduce inequality, the survey explored who should be taking responsibility and interestingly, 57 per cent Indians put the onus on the government most for bearing the burden of accountability in addressing this issue. Indians also felt the responsibility rested with the media (29 per cent), individuals (25 per cent), religious leaders (24 per cent), parents and teachers (22 per cent), groups experiencing inequality (13 per cent), employers (13 per cent), advocacy organizations (6 per cent) and someone else (3 per cent).  

Among global citizens at least 67 per cent held the govt responsible for creating a fair society and addressing inequality.  

Meritocracy in society
At least 42 per cent global citizens and 27 per cent Indians said that people's chances of success in their country depended mostly on their own merit and efforts. Only 18 per cent Indians said success depended on factors beyond their control.  

Agreement among Indians was low for both statements - 21 per cent Indians said a fair society is the one where everyone is given the same opportunities; and 19 per cent Indians said, a fair society is the one where everyone enjoys the same quality of life. Global avg was 45 per cent and 19 per cent respectively for the former and latter statements.

Elucidating on the findings of the survey, Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India said, "Inequality is a reality across global cities and is perceived to be far more pronounced in certain global cities by their citizens as compared to India. At this juncture, India is one of the most optimistic countries in the world, helped by high consumer sentiment. This sense of buoyancy is likely to have resulted in subdued perceptions about inequality which otherwise continues to be a global issue. Discrimination is a societal issue across global markets and certain groups feel unfair treatment or discrimination profoundly, even in india. Women getting most unfair treatment could probably be in the lower strata, where they are not educated or financially independent, certain biases against certain cohorts do exist and govt initiatives and contribution of all stakeholders in building awareness, laws, can prevent unfair treatment to anyone. Meritocracy does have the right place in our society where the most deserving largely gets the due, whether we look at admissions in colleges or professional courses or jobs. The onus definitely rests with the govt to ensure fair play."            

Technical note: Ipsos interviewed 21,759 people online in the following countries between February 23 and March 8, 2024. Quotas were set to ensure representativeness and data have been weighted to the known population profile of each country. The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Türkiye. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online.