Survey: is there hope for tomorrow?

The annual survey by the Business and Finance team queried people's optimism before the budget. Unsurprisingly, people were not positive: only one-in-six respondents expected relief measures. Well, they were the ones that were proven right given that the budget does attempt to shift the burden to the rich, however weak the attempts may be.

Continuing in the vein of pessimism, nearly half the respondents expect the budget will make the economy worse, not better. About 82 per cent of people who answered believe that the budget will do jack all to create more jobs in a country ferociously pedaling away from a default.

Taking a weighted average of the salaries that respondents reported, it would appear that the average person who is English-savvy enough to read Dawn and conscientious enough to answer economy surveys earns a measly Rs150,000, the bulk of which is spent keeping the household afloat by paying essential bills. Almost all respondents expected expenses to increase.

It would appear that people believe that hope for tomorrow is a pipe dream.

INFLATED NUMBERS

The upper echelons of the middle-income group are increasing and the lower cadres are moving up. Inflation, among other factors, is making the absolute household incomes rise, even if people...