Monday, 14 May 2018

4 Years of Modi Government: An Online Survey by Local Circles Social Media Platform

New Delhi: Narendra Modi’s BJP-led central government has received a pat on its back as it gets set to celebrate four years in power this month and enter the election year.

In an online survey conducted by LocalCircles, 57 per cent of respondents have said that the NDA government has either met or exceeded their expectations.

However, this also means that the other 43 per cent of people are dissatisfied with the government, a number which has risen in the last couple of years. The corresponding figures in 2016 and 2017 were 36 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.

The percentage of respondents who feel the government has exceeded their expectations has risen from 17 to 28, while the number of those who feel the government has merely ‘met’ their expectations has dropped from 44 per cent to 29 per cent.

The BJP alone had won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, on the back of ambitious promises made by Modi.


Survey Sample Size:

LocalCircles is a social media platform launched in 2013, where citizens of an area can come together on issues of governance and shared interests, as well as flag common concerns to the administration. For this, users of the platform, who have to sign up and interact under their real names, become members of their ‘local circle’.

The latest online survey gives a picture of the government’s performance in 23 different areas or parameters. “These parameters are based on promises made by the government in its manifesto or issues identified by citizens on LocalCircles’ platform,” the social media platform stated.

“This year’s survey received more than 1,75,000 votes from approximately 62,000 citizens in 250 districts of India, and is the largest exercise of its kind, where citizens assess government performance.”


Parameters:

The BJP government has drawn flak for the hardship and economic distress caused due to the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November 2016, and then the roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax in July 2017. Job generation has also been repeatedly mentioned as a problem, as has the slowdown in the growth of the economy.

Yet, 56 per cent of the respondents believe the “government is on track to deliver the promises made in the pre-election manifesto”, a slight dip from 59 per cent in last year’s survey. Given the lofty promises the BJP had made, a 56 per cent positive figure on this parameter may not disappoint it too much.

In some other key parameters, the feedback for the Modi government is mixed. Around 32 per cent citizens feel that crime against women and children have reduced in the last four years, while 58 per cent feel it has not (the other 10 per cent responded ‘can’t say’).

Around 60 per cent of those who participated in the survey said that prices of essential commodities and the cost of living have not reduced.

Only around 35 per cent believe that the unemployment rate has reduced in the last four years, while 54 per cent say it hasn’t.

A key flagship initiative of this government – the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – seems to be gaining popularity. Last year, 35 per cent had said that they find their city cleaner due to Swachh Bharat. This year, the figure has gone up to 43 per cent.

Modi fought the 2014 election, and continues to do so in the states, on an anti-corruption plank, while targeting the Congress for being highly corrupt. However, in terms of public perception, it’s pretty neck-and-neck – 49 per cent of people believe corruption has reduced, while 44 per cent say it hasn’t.

The surgical strikes of 2016 against Pakistan and its handling of the Doklam crisis with China seem to have earned the BJP government brownie points, as has Modi’s foreign policy.

On the question of whether India’s image and influence in the world has improved, 82 per cent said yes while 13 per cent said no. On the government’s handling of the conflict on the borders and relations with Pakistan in the last four years, an overwhelming 74 per cent felt things had improved, while 24 per cent stated otherwise.

The approval ratings for the government’s Pakistan policy was just 34 per cent in 2016, but has gone up dramatically to 64 per cent, a possible reaction to the surgical strikes. When asked if acts of terror have reduced in the last four years, 61 per cent citizens said yes, while 35 per cent said no.
Source: ThePrint / IndiaToday / NewIndianExpress

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