Banking, home repair, pet services - What Indians think is VERY essential during lockdown

Home repair and pet services are strangely, are among the most sought after services in India during the lockdown, with most people believing that they should count as essential services. What doesn’t come as a surprise though is the fact that banking remains on top of the list, according to the latest survey conducted by YouGuv.

As per a new order, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed some shops providing non-essential goods and services to reopen. However, many businesses still remain closed. The survey was conducted to find out what people consider important and it reveals that nine in ten urban Indians (89%) picked banks as the most essential service during the lockdown from a list of businesses providing non-essential goods and services. 

It is followed by online home repair service, a trend that could be influenced by the onset of summer with most people in the need of AC and fridge servicing. About 75 per cent Indians voted that online home repair services are crucial during this time. 

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For a lot of people, information remains key with 61 per cent voting that newspapers and magazines are of high importance. Pet Stores received the same response as well. In a more bizarre trend, considering these are dangerous times due to coronavirus pandemic, 16 per cent people voted for alcohol shops while 12 per cent Indians believe Cigarettes should be included in essential service. However, as can be seen by the percentage, these people are well in the minority.

However, some other unexpected items got quite a large percentage of people to demand that these be put on the essentials list. They consider the online sale of kitchen appliances (40%), gadgets (33%) and body care/ skincare products (35%) as essential. So, the Home ministry’s decision to cancel permission to sell non-essential commodities on e-commerce platforms may have particularly disappointed these people. 

The government’s dilemma to revoke the restriction on the operation of gyms and fitness centres seems to match the divided public opinion on whether it is essential or not. Close to half (46%) think of them as key services, but almost as many (54%) feel they are unnecessary.

Overall, people seem happy with the availability of essential items in the lockdown, with 76% respondents saying they are satisfied with the available essential services and don't want any more amenities. 

Data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1000 respondents in India between 21st – 24th April 2020 using YouGov’s panel of over 6 million people worldwide. Data is representative of the adult online population in the country.