People of India Satisfied with Government Measures to Handle Inflation Reveals Study by International Consulting Firm, Crosby Textor

The state of the national economy, particularly employment, healthcare and education are the most important issues for respondents in India. Rising costs have also been an issue, with majority Indians dealing with increased costs in electricity, gas, fuel, food, groceries, transport and healthcare.

Government Handling of Inflation by Age and Income

Having said that, Indians are overall satisfied with the various steps the Indian government has taken towards controlling inflation and prevent prices from spiraling out of control because of the pandemic and war in Ukraine. Governments of several countries implemented various COVID-19 related economic revival packages, which turned out to be inflationary in nature. India took a balanced approach towards excessive money supply and this has helped.

Furthermore, Indians have very comprehensively acknowledged that the Indian Government has done very well in handling the complex challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The welfare schemes undertaken by the government have been accepted well by more than 60% of the public ranging from low-income household to high-income households, who have acknowledged that the welfare schemes have reached all intended beneficiaries.

This is reflected in the businesses and employers supporting employees through pay hikes. 60% of respondents have received a pay hike in the last few months. This is much higher than 26% in Australia, 29% in UK, 28% in US, 18% in UAE and 21% in Brazil.

The effect of pay rises is demonstrated in people feeling confident about spending as opposed to saving. A whopping 72% of the audience has spent more than in the last 12 months. In comparison, this figure was 56% in February 2021.

Over the next 12 months, majority of respondents in India anticipate that their household finances will improve. More people (38%) believe that it will be 'much better' than what it was in February 2021 (34%).

Given India's rise in economic strength, with India becoming the 5^th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP value, Indians are very positive about India's participation on the world stage. Indians feel that international trade should be increased, particularly with countries such as USA, UK, Australia, Japan and UAE.

71% Indians also feel that the present global circumstances provide a very good opportunity to attract global manufacturers to set up manufacturing in India under Prime Minister Modi's invitation of 'Make in India, Make for the World'. They are also very supportive of increasing trade relations with the UK and Australia.

Indians also believe that international relations with the Middle East have significantly become better in the last few years, particularly with UAE and Saudi Arabia. 66% of the respondents believe that the overall relations with UAE have improved and 60% believe the same with Saudi Arabia. Majority of Indians believe that the reason for better relations with Saudi Arabia has been due to improvement in trade ties, better relations between governments and enhancements in investments.

Commenting on the significance of the insights revealed by the study, Crosby Textor India Executive Chairman, Atul Jhamb said, "The latest round of C|T Group's research reveals people's sentiments in the post pandemic world. The unprecedented times India has witnessed in the last two years have been very diligently handled by our country's leadership, creating the necessary cushions to absorb multiple shocks and paving the way for sustained and higher economic growth. The same is reflected in the positive sentiments of the people of India."

About the C|T Group

Founded by campaign strategists Sir Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor, the C|T Group is a unique, multi-faceted global organization that integrates research, strategy and communication tools to execute winning campaigns for corporate and political clients. Having worked in over 50 countries across the globe, including India, US, UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, the C|T Group has delivered winning strategies at the highest levels of business and Governments.

The C|T Group has an established presence in the UK, US, Italy, Australia and Middle East and has established its presence in the Indian market through its subsidiary Crosby Textor India Private Limited with its office in Mumbai.

On one end of the spectrum, the group has been at forefront of leading political campaigns and delivered election success at the very highest levels of politics. This includes the Prime Ministerial Campaigns in Australia for last two decades including the election for PM Scott Morrison in May 2019, the election of David Cameron as Prime Minister in the UK in 2015 as well as the Mayoral campaign for Boris Johnson as the Mayor of London in 2008 and 2012 and our work in the UK election for his Prime Ministership, amongst others.

On the other end of the spectrum, the group works with corporates and businesses to offer strategic counsel and transactional advice to government agencies and companies who operate at the intersection of business and government policy. The C|T Group by virtue of its vast global network and outreach is able to provide clients with both market and customer access across including access to governments.

Furthermore, the Group has experience in facilitating access to strategic institutions through its robust relationships as well as simplifying and managing complex transactions on behalf of private individuals, families and corporates.

A key USP of the C|T Group is to deliver solutions to clients faced with complex and challenging situations including but not limited to business intelligence, security services (security strategy, digital forensics, cyber security), litigation support, cross border asset tracking, due diligence and issue resolution services, hostile threats from competitors and other stakeholders across geographies especially in Australia, U.K, Europe, US, Africa, Middle East and the Far East.