New Delhi: A vast majority of Indians are pessimistic about joblessness in the country under PM Narendra Modi who is in his third term as the prime minister, as per the Mood of the Nation Survey of February 2025 conducted by India Today and C-Voter.
More than three-fourths of those surveyed said that the unemployment situation in the country was either very serious or somewhat serious. Only 5% thought that it was not at all serious while 55% considered it very serious and 21% see it as somewhat serious. As per the survey, 64% in the northeast and 60% in the east see the unemployment situation as very serious, compared to 48% in the south.
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Asked to identify the single biggest failure of the Modi government over the past 11 years, unemployment and price rise were chosen as the biggest one by 21% of the respondents in the Mood of the Nation Survey. In response to another question about the biggest problem India faces currently, 24% of the respondents identified unemployment and 17%, price rise and inflation.
In response to a question, 57% of the respondents said that the country’s economy is either going to get worse or remain the same in the next six months. Only 34% were hopeful of an improvement in the economy this year. 64% of those surveyed find it difficult to manage their daily expenses compared to last year and another 27% said that the expenses have gone up but are still manageable.
Graphs used by India Today to represent answers to questions on price rise, unemployment and key political issues.
Among the lower income group, 70% of the respondents that the current expenses have become difficult to manage. Among those surveyed, 82% were in favour of a universal basic income scheme, with only 14% saying no to it.
‘Pro-business’
The survey also underscored the thrust of the policies of the Modi government in favour of the big business, with 51% of those surveyed saying that big business has benefitted the most from the government’s policies since 2014. Only 9% claimed that the salaried class has benefitted while 6% identified daily wagers as the beneficiary.
Responding to another question, 65% of the respondents said that their household income or salary will either deteriorate or remain the same in the next six months. Only 27% expected it to improve during this year.
In keeping with the previous MoTN surveys, 45% of those surveyed said that the Modi government misuses central investigative agencies like the ED, CBI and the I-T department more than any other government, while 42% disagreed with the proposition. Asked if the Modi government is supporting the controversial Adani group amid allegations of bribery by a US court, 49% agreed while only 33% disagreed with the statement which echoes the attacks made by Rahul Gandhi against PM Modi.
In the survey, 47% rejected the BJP’s allegation that the Congress party is taking funds from George Soros for anti-India activities while 38% found merit in the ruling dispensation’s conspiracy theory.
