57% "satisfied" with Modi governance, slide not significant: urban male-dominated survey

By Jag Jivan 
Virtually seeking to give clean chit to the Narendra Modi government's four-year performance, a corporate-sponsored survey, claimed to have been done among over 62,000 "unique citizens" who polled over 170,000 votes, has said that a total of 57% citizens believe that "the Government has either met or exceeded their expectations in the last 4 years" as against 61% during the last year's survey and 64% in 2016.

The survey also shows that 56% citizens believe "the government is on track to deliver the promises made in the pre-election manifesto", which is a "slight slide" from 59% last year. 

However, LocalCircles, which conducted the survey, insists, this is not a very bad performance, as "typically, the expectations from political establishments or the ruling party among citizens deteriorates very fast." After all, "approval rating" ratings for US Presidents are known to fall very fast, but but as the Modi government, it is still in "high digits."

Calling itself "India’s leading Community social media platform", LocalCircles' top seven-person team includes three top industrialists -- Nadir Godrej, Managing Director, Godrej Industries; Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group; and RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki.
Giving a profile of those surveyed,LocalCicles suggests a gender and urban bias of the persons chosen. It admits, "Approximately 69% of respondents were males while 31% were females. Approximately 41% of the respondents were from Tier 1 cities, 28% from Tier 2 cities and 31% from Tier 3 cities and rural locations."
The profile, however, does not provide any information about the caste and class background of those surveyed, nor does it suggest how these persons were interviewed -- face-to-face, telephonically or on social media.

It merely says, "Each citizen who voted in the survey is registered with LocalCircles with their detailed information and in many cases shared their exact residential address... The outcome of this survey gives a picture of the Government’s performance on 23 different areas or parameters." If issues surveyed range from corruption to communalism, there were no queries on freedom of expression, attitude towards institutes or caste atrocities.
Giving a breakup of overall satisfaction rate, the survey show that 28% citizens said the government has "exceeded their expectation" suggesting a "dramatic improvement upwards compared to 17% last year and 18% in 2016", though just 28% this year said Government "meets expectation", down from 46% in 2016. If in 2016 36% rated the Government as not meeting expectations, in 2018 this has risen to 43%.

Based on this, LocalCircles concludes, "This means that opinion about Government performance is more polarised now."
The survey shows thst 58% feel crime against women and children has not reduced. However, LocalCircles says, the dissatisfaction on this score is less than last year (60%) despite "cases of rape, kidnap and murder of children are hitting headline on a regular basis" from "Bengaluru to Sonipat to Kathua."
Then, the survey says, 32% citizens believe that healthcare facilities and services in their city have improved, up from 23%; 43% citizens said their city has become cleaner because of Swachh Bharat Mission as against 35% citizens last year; 65% citizens felt optimistic about their family’s future in India "a slight dip from 69% who felt optimistic last year"; and 49% said corruption in India has reduced as against 47% last year; citizens had said that corruption in the country has reduced.
Then, 61% citizens said terrorism in the country as against 51% citizens last year, and 50% citizens felt that the government handled communalism as against In 2017, 61% last year and 63% in 2016.