COVID-19 Poll: About 20% of Indians had difficulty in getting general medical care and food during the Coronavirus lockdown
The Team CVoter Corona Tracker Economy Battery (Wave 3) survey conducted from 18th to 23rd May 2020 asked respondents about their view of the effect of the Coronavirus crisis and lockdown on their economic condition. The survey included questions on respondents’ viewpoint on the implementation of the lockdown, the relief package announced by the government as well as fear of not being able to afford medical care, food and job loss.
In today’s post, Team Polstrat breaks down the number of Indians that experienced or are expecting to experience difficulty in obtaining food, general medical care and reported a substantial loss in savings during the Coronavirus crisis.
Difficulty in obtaining food
20.3% of Indians reported having gone hungry or experienced difficulty obtaining food due to the Coronavirus crisis. Given the population of India is around 1.35 billion, this would roughly translate to around 27 crore people. In addition to this, roughly 38 crore people expect this to happen in the near future, showcasing an alarming figure about the reality of hunger/fear of hunger in the country.
When we assess the demographic breakdown of those who reported having had difficulty obtaining food or had gone hungry, we see that freshers (below 25) had the highest percentage of the (28%), while the older age group (60 and above) had the lowest (4.1%). At the same time, 23.1% of young people (25–45) and 16.1% of middle-aged (45–60) respondents reported having gone without food or having difficulty obtaining food during the Coronavirus crisis.
Difficulty getting general medical care
22.5% of Indians reported having difficulty getting general medical care during the Coronavirus, while an additional 21.6% expect this to happen in the near future. This would translate to roughly 60 crore Indians reporting having experienced or expecting to experience difficulties in obtaining general medical care.
Across age groups, the highest percentage of respondents that reported difficulty in obtaining general medical care were freshers (below 25) (27.6%) and older age groups (above 60) (26.4%).
Lost substantial savings
39.2% of Indians have already reported having lost substantial savings, which would roughly translate to 53 crore people and an additional 30 crore who expect this could happen in the near future. Overall, roughly 83 crore people have already experienced or expect to experience a substantial loss in their savings.
The percentage of respondents who reported a substantial loss in savings was highest for freshers (50.1%) and lowest for older age groups (13.2%). This could perhaps be attributed to the fact that older generations are more likely to have more savings or a rainy day fund as compared to freshers. At the same time, 44.4% of young people (25–45) and 32.1% of middle-aged (45–60) respondents reported having lost substantial savings during the Coronavirus crisis.
From Polstrat, a non-partisan political consultancy which aims to shift the narrative of political discourse in the country from a problem-centric to a solutions-oriented approach.
All survey findings and projections are based on the Team CVoter Corona Tracker Economic Battery Wave 3 survey carried out in May 2020 among 18+ adults statewide, including every major demographic. (Sample Size: 1474) Team CVoter (Center For Voting Opinions and Trends in Election Research) is a leading international stakeholder research organization with its roots in India.
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