Modi’s government has met or exceed expectations in the second term, according to 67% of 64,000 people polled by LocalCircles. That’s a jump from 51% last year when a brutal second wave of Covid-19 infections overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums and 62% in 2020 when the pandemic started.
The people surveyed said the government was better prepared to handle a third wave of Covid-19 infections and had effectively managed the economy. Yet there were concerns over unemployment staying around 7% since the start of the year with 47% of those polled saying India hasn’t been able to address the issue.
However, there’s also been an increase in confidence in the government’s handling of joblessness with 37% showing approval. That’s a rise from 27% in 2021 and 29% in 2020 where there were drastic lockdowns that saw migrant workers lose their jobs in cities though a rural jobs guarantee program helped.
The growing approval comes as India’s retail inflation is tracking an eight-year high, a politically sensitive issue that has seen Modi’s government institute a series of measures to restrict exports of wheat and sugar and rein in any further price increases.
The survey reflected the issue with 73% of Indians saying the price of essential commodities and living costs haven’t fallen in the past three years, a key flash point for Modi who is seeking a third term in elections due in 2024.
Here are some of the other findings from the survey, which was published as he completed eight years in office on May 30:
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