A few months into the second Covid 19 wave, about two thirds of the Urban Population in India are worried they may become seriously unwell or die due to the disease, according to YouGov’s latest data. As per the data from YouGov’s Covid19 Public Monitor, 64 per cent of the Urbans are afraid.
The YouGov data showed that only 45 per cent of the Urban Population in India were worried about their personal health because of Covid 19 in May 2020 at the outset of the pandemic. However, the number shot up with the second wave of the pandemic hitting the Country in a drastic way.
YouGov’s Covid19 Public Monitor has been tracking public sentiment around Covid 19 Virus since last year when the pandemic first broke out.
CONCERNS
People until last year were concerned most about a long lasting negative impact of the Covid virus on society as well as on their finances. About 56 per cent of the people who responded to YouGov said that they were concerned about their friends or family becoming seriously unwell or dying. Meanwhile 50 per cent worried about their children’s education suffering due to the crisis. Apart from this, 45 percent of the Urbans were concerned about losing their jobs or their personal health.
With the Virus spreading over a large population, concerns over personal health intensified with a 19 percentage point increase between the two periods (from 45 per cent in May’20 to 68 per cent in May 21). The fear of losing a loved one also increased by 12 percentage points. As per t5 e data, the YouGov says that people were much worried about one’s family and personal health than one’s finances or job.
TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS
In May last year, trust in the various institutions was high. About 87 per cent of the Urban population said they trusted the healthcare professionals. Eighty three of them said that they had trust in the government and 76 per cent trusted the media on the Covid-19 situation. A year later, the YouGov said that this trust slashed down. The confidence in government has taken the biggest hit, going down by 24 per cent.
VACCINE
The YouGov says that more people turned towards vaccines now. The Public Monitor data showed that 67 percent felt comfortable in taking the vaccine in January when it rolled out first time. After the second wave hit the country in February, the people who expressed willingness to take the vaccine increased – at 76% as of May 2021.
