How Happy Were Indians In June 2024?

Happiness levels among Indians remained high and steady in June 2024, with 77 per cent of citizens claiming to be happy, consistent with the previous month. 

The Ipsos IndiaBus Happiness Survey revealed that the happiest citizens were from tier 1 cities (88 per cent), the east zone (85 per cent), the north zone (84 per cent), and the west zone (83 per cent). Full-time parents and homemakers (83 per cent), individuals aged 45 and above (81 per cent), and those with low education (80 per cent) also reported high happiness levels. Females (79 per cent), individuals from SEC A and C (78 per cent), employed part-time or full-time (78 per cent), tier 2 city dwellers (76 per cent), and those aged 18-30 years (77 per cent) and 31-45 years (76 per cent) were among the happiest cohorts. High-education citizens reported a slightly lower happiness level at 74 per cent.

Interestingly, citizens living in non-metro areas were happier (80 per cent) compared to those in metro areas (71 per cent). However, the south zone residents continued to be the least happy, with only 56 per cent reporting happiness. The Ipsos IndiaBus Happiness Survey is a monthly barometer of happiness among urban Indians, and the latest findings reflect the overall positive sentiment across various demographics.

Parijat Chakraborty, Group Service Line Leader for Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation, ESG, and CSR at Ipsos, commented on the survey findings, stating that the majority of Indians are happy across cities, cohorts, and age groups. Chakraborty attributed this happiness to the hopeful and driven nature of people in a growing, emerging market like India. He noted that the monsoon season in several parts of the country likely served as a mood elevator after a hot and prolonged summer. Furthermore, improvements in infrastructure and a manageable cost of living in non-metro areas have contributed to the elevated happiness levels of their residents.

Full-time parents and homemakers emerged as the happiest group, likely due to spending time with children during their holidays, socialising, outings, and binge-watching OTT content at home. The survey also showed that urban Indians were happiest about their family (77 per cent), health (72 per cent), friends’ circle (70 per cent), economic conditions (66 per cent), colleagues and business associates (68 per cent), employment and work (65 per cent), neighbours (65 per cent), the situation of the country (62 per cent), and the situation of the world (58 per cent).

Chakraborty emphasised that happiness is not just a fleeting feeling but is influenced by various aspects of daily life, manifesting in relationships, well-being, social networks, work, and other key areas.

The Ipsos IndiaBus survey is a monthly, pan-India omnibus conducted among more than 2200 respondents from SEC A, B, and C households. It covers adults of both genders from all four zones in the country, including metros, tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 towns, providing a robust and representative view of urban Indians. The survey is conducted face-to-face and online, with data weighted by demographics and city-class population to arrive at a national average. Results are calculated on a two-month rolling sample.