Demographic delusion: Why do almost all of us identify as middle-class?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The middle-class of a country often has a starring role in its economy as much as what we call the ‘public sphere.’ But who qualifies as a member can vary by how we define this class. Should we go by how people view their own status? According to the latest YouGov-Mint-Centre for Policy Research Millennial Survey, as reported in ‘Plain Facts,’ 88% of urban Indian netizens identify themselves as middle-class.
This cuts across income levels: among respondents who also disclosed their earnings, 90% earning under ₹50,000 monthly slot themselves in this bracket, as do 57% of those who earn above ₹4 lakh every month. Overall, only 7% consider themselves rich and 5% poor. This nearly universal claim to middle-class status sits awkwardly with statistical readings.
People Research on India’s Consumer Economy, for example, lists households with an annual income of ₹5 lakh to ₹30 lakh (at 2020-21 prices) as middle-class; its survey for 2022-23 found that this class accounts for 39% of the country’s population, but punches above its weight with 49% of household income, 47% of spending and 49% of savings. While online folks in our cities may have a middle-class skew, it’s clear from the Millennial Survey that more people see themselves in this class than a statistical lens would warrant—most remarkably at the upper end. How come? One answer is that people are scarcely aware of India’s big picture.
Since ‘middle’ is a relative term, the relatively well-off may underestimate where they are placed. Among urban netizens earning more than ₹4 lakh per month, only 42% consider themselves rich, while 1% even claim they’re poor (and the rest middle-class). Likewise, in lower slabs, few individuals may be in
. Read more on livemint.com
