india

Updated: Mar 27, 2019 07:55 IST

The Army is India’s most trusted institution followed by the judiciary while the police, government officials and political parties are the least trusted, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Bengaluru’s Azim Premji University and Delhi-based research institute Lokniti Centre For the Study of Developing Societies’ report titled Politics and Society Between Elections (2019) is based on a survey of public opinion related to politics, society, and governance between elections.

The survey was conducted in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, and the National Capital Region of Delhi.

As many as 30% respondents surveyed for the report agreed the government should punish those, who do not stand for the national anthem at public places and 20% disagreed.

“States in the Hindi heartland such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand took more nationalist positions, where close to half of the respondents [except Uttarakhand with 40%] fully agree that the government should punish those not standing for the national anthem. Respondents in the remaining sampled states took middle positions on this question with an inclination towards agreement with the statement,” it noted.

The report noted the idea nation and nationalism have always been discussed and debated in India. It added over the past few years, it has been brought centre-stage and widely debated. “People are now divided into two groups – nationalists or anti-nationalists -- based on their attitudes and perceptions towards private and public practices.”

The study found respondents strongly supported punishment for those who consume beef in states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand, where cow slaughter is completely banned. In states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Kerala, where there is no such ban, an overwhelming number of people rejected the idea of punishment for beef eating.

The report found that overall opinion on religious conversions was sharply divided. Unlike for other questions, a higher number of respondents (23%) did not express their opinion on the issue.

The disagreement was higher among Christian dominated states. In Mizoram and Nagaland, 60% and 44% disagreed when asked whether the government should punish those found involved in religious conversions. The rejection was also high among respondents in states like Kerala (37%), Tripura (28%), Tamil Nadu (27%) and Assam (23%).

According to the report, the key concern among those between the ages of 18 and 35 (49%) was related to jobs.

“Citizens are concerned with many issues between elections, but what concerns the most is unemployment,” the report said.