Joblessness not COVID-19 top concern of urban Indians in Oct: survey

The fears over COVID-19 seem to be receding, but urban Indians are worried the most about joblessness in October 2021, said the Ipsos What Worries the World global monthly survey.

While, it is poverty and social inequality that greatly troubles global citizens the most. Earlier, COVID-19 had been occupying the predominant position as a source of worry and anxiety of global citizens (28 markets including India) for 18 long months.

But concerns over COVID are being replaced with anxieties about jobs. Around 42 per cent of urban Indians are deeply concerned about unemployment, while only 35 per cent are losing sleep over coronavirus now. Another major concern is over financial & political corruption, which 30 Indians worry about and another 26 per cent agonise about poverty and social inequality. 24 cent was disturbed about crime and violence, anxieties about education were lower at 20 per cent, said a report in Manorama Online.

Meanwhile, more than lack of jobs, 33 per cent of global citizens were troubled about poverty and social inequality. Globally, 30 per cent worried about unemployment, as compared to 42 per cent in India, while coronavirus only made 29 per cent uneasy. Financial and political corruption figured at 29 per cent and concerns over crime and violence at 27 per cent, etc., for global citizens, said the survey.

Commenting on the study, the CEO of Ipsos India, Amit Adarkar, said the biggest issue faced by Indians is joblessness. It remains a major area of concern for most urban Indians, he said, adding that job creation and job openings had to keep pace with expectations. “Right now, there is a disconnect,” he pointed out, said media reports.

But the good news is that people brooding over coronavirus seems to be on the wane, which in turn would result in return to normalcy and for the job market to pick up. Not so surprisingly, graft and social inequality are other key concerns for Indians.

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The Tide will Turn

Indians are not short of optimism however. A majority of Urban Indians (68 per cent) believe India is moving in the right direction and has the second most optimistic people, while Saudi Arabia remains most optimistic (83 per cent), found the survey. The markets most pessimistic and downcast were Colombia (90 per cent), Peru (83 per cent) and Argentina (82  per cent).

Urban Indians have a never-say-die attitude which is what reportedly keeps them afloat. “Despite worries and hardships, they always believe the tide will turn, and it does. They do not give up mid- way,” added Adarkar, according to the Manorama Online report.

Ipsos’ What Worries the World survey is conducted in 28 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. A total of 21,516 online interviews were conducted between September 24 to October 8 among adults in the age group of 16-74 in India and other countries.