Primus Partners Budget Expectations Survey: The rich worry about taxes, the poor about income uncertainty

Urban professionals worry the most about high taxes while gig workers, street vendors and blue-collar workers in cities are concerned about income uncertainty. Folks in rural India worry about poor infrastructure and lack of jobs.
Their ask from Budget 2026 too vary, found a pan India survey of 1,755 individuals conducted by Primus Partners for Business Today. While most want the budget to address lack of jobs while gig workers want improved digital services.
Here’s a deep dive into concerns and expectations of four personas.
 
Aspirational Indians

Who are they: Urban working professionals focused on skills, stability, and quality of life.

In this segment, high taxes emerge as the most cited day-to-day challenge (25.9%), alongside rising prices and uneven public services, leaving less room to save, invest, or plan. As one respondent put it, “Rising prices and daily expenses make it harder to plan for the future.”

What they want from Budget 2026 is a clearer path to opportunity: stronger jobs and skilling outcomes (55.2% place Jobs & Skills among their top reform priorities), supported by reliable infrastructure and digital services that reduce friction in daily life. They also expect the Budget to signal stability, not just growth. Another voice captures the urgency: “India’s young population advantage if job creation and skill relevance are not addressed urgently.”

 

If expectations are met, confidence turns into productive action. Many say they would expand or start something new (31%), while others would save or invest more (29.3%), reflecting a shift toward long-term planning over short-term consumption.

 
 
Urban Lifelines (Gig workers)

Who are they: Platform and gig-economy workers, delivery partners, drivers, and on-demand service providers.
Urban Lifelines (Gig workers) are drivers, delivery partners, and platform workers who keep cities running, but often without predictable income or a safety net.

For them, uncertainty is the defining stress. In this segment, uncertain income is the top day-to-day challenge (22.9%), followed by rising prices (18.6%). Health and education costs and high taxes also weigh heavily (both 14.3%). As one respondent put it, “Inconsistent orders lead to fluctuating earnings every month,” making it difficult to plan beyond essentials.

What they want from Budget 2026 is stability that is practical and felt in daily life. Their reform priorities cluster around Digital Services (41.4%), Healthcare (40%), and Utility Services (40%), along with Jobs & Skills (38.6%) and Infrastructure (37.1%). Another respondent captured their struggles plainly: “My pay varies widely, it’s hard to budget.”

If expectations are met, confidence turns into productive action. 40% say they would save or invest more, while 21.4% would expand or start something new and 15.7% would improve skills, signalling a push from survival mode toward stability and upward mobility.

 
City Sustainers (Street vendors)

Who are they: City Sustainers (Street vendors) are informal micro-entrepreneurs whose incomes rise and fall with footfall, seasonality, and local operating conditions.

Their pressure points reflect that fragility: uncertain income (21.4%) leads, while health and education costs (14.3%) and regulatory uncertainty (14.3%) sit close behind. “Daily sales fluctuate, making it hard to plan finances,” is a common theme.

Their reform asks cluster around making local markets work better for small sellers. Top priorities include Jobs & Skills (44.3%) and Infrastructure (44.3%), with a strong tilt toward Trade (38.6%), signalling the need for smoother market access, better demand conditions, and fewer frictions in moving goods and doing business. One respondent framed the expectation in practical terms: “Affordability in health can reduce stress and loans can help in emergencies.”

If the Budget meets expectations, this group shows a balanced “growth plus security” response: 28.6% would save or invest more, 27.1% would expand or start a business, and 21.4% would upgrade skills, reflecting both caution and ambition.

 
Backbone of Urban India (Blue-collar)

Who are they: Backbone of Urban India (Blue-collar) includes factory, field, and services workers.

Their challenges show a tight squeeze: uncertain income (24.2%) is highest, followed by rising prices (18.2%) and lack of jobs (15.2%). One respondent summed up the daily reality: “Too many qualified people competing for fewer jobs.”

Their Budget expectations are anchored in employability and protection from shocks. Jobs & Skills (66.7%) is the dominant reform priority, far ahead of other areas, followed by Healthcare (43.9%) and Infrastructure (40.9%). The pattern suggests a simple pathway: better skills should convert into better jobs and wage progression, and healthcare should stop becoming a financial setback. “Affordable healthcare options can ease financial stress for families,” captures the risk-management angle.

If expectations are met, the most common response is financial consolidation: 37.9% say they would save or invest more. 18.2% would upgrade skills, and 18.2% say they would stay committed to India, linking quality-of-life confidence to longer-term personal decisions.