60% Indians favour strong leader who can break rules, ignore civil rights: UK survey

A high-profile online survey in 23 countries, including India, claims that 63% Indians, one of the highest among the countries surveyed, insist on the need to to prioritise stopping terrorism over protecting civil rights. While the average for the 23 countries is 45%, interviewees from only two countries feel so more strongly about this – Serbia 73% and Turkey 69%.
The countries selected for the survey, carried out by Ipsos-MORI, the second largest market research organisation in the United Kingdom, are – Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.
The countries which refuse to give much priority to terrorism over protecting civil rights include – US 37%, Brazil 37%, Italy 35%, Mexico 34%, Canada 31%, Spain 31%, Argentina 30%, and Japan 25%.
In all, 16,597 adults aged 16-64 across the 23 countries were interviewed between October 21 and November 4, 2016. Between 500 and 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel.
In a related response to the statement, “To fix the country, we need a strong leader willing to break the rules”, 65% Indians answered in the positive, which is higher than all but six countries – France, Israel, Italy, South Korea, and Turkey (80%, 69%, 68%, 66%, 66%, and 65% respectively).

While the world average is 49%, the interviewees of the countries which feel the least for such a need are Japan, Argentina, Spain, Sweden, and Germany (39%, 36%, 35%, 23%, and 21% respectively).
Despite the need for a strong leader willing to break rules, India has the least percentage of people interviewed among 23 countries who believe that society is “broken” – just 32%. Just one country, Japan, has a higher percentage than India on this score (31%).
While the average of 23 countries is 58%, the people of the countries where people strongly feel their society is broken are Poland 79%, Spain 78%, Brazil 77%, Mexico 76%, and South Africa 74%.
Providing answers to seven different queries on what people think about seven different issues, the survey, whose results were released on January 31, 2017, found that 56% of Indians support prioritising jobs for national citizens, as against the world average of 43%, again one of the highest among the 23 countries surveyed.
To the question, “To what extent, if at all, do you agree or disagree with the following statements – Your country is on decline?”, least percentage of people surveyed from India, 22%, answered in the positive, as against the average of 57% among 23 countries.
The countries where the highest percentage of people thought their nation is on decline are South Africa, South Korea, Italy and Brazil, with 77%, 73%, 73% and 72% respectively.
In yet another question, whether they felt that they have the least confidence in government, just 35%, lowest among 23 countries, agreed. While the average is found to be 71%, the countries where the confidence level in their governments is worst are Mexico, Spain, South Korea, Poland and Hungary (90%, 89%, 84%, 82% and 82% on an average).
---
Download survey results HERE

Comments

Disappearing schools: India's education landscape undergoing massive changes

The other day, I received a message from education rights activist Mitra Ranjan, who claims that a whopping one lakh schools across India have been closed down or merged. This seemed unbelievable at first sight. The message from the activist, who is from the advocacy group Right to Education (RTE) Forum, states that this is happening as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which floated the idea of school integration/consolidation.

'Shameful lies': Ambedkar defamed, Godse glorified? Dalit leader vows legal battle

A few days back, I was a little surprised to receive a Hindi article in plain text format from veteran Gujarat Dalit rights leader Valjibhai Patel , known for waging many legal battles under the banner of the Council of Social Justice (CSJ) on behalf of socially oppressed communities.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. I don't know who owns this site, for there is nothing on it in the About Us link. It merely says, the Nashik Corporation site "is an educational and news website of the municipal corporation. Today, education and payment of tax are completely online." It goes on to add, "So we provide some of the latest information about Property Tax, Water Tax, Marriage Certificate, Caste Certificate, etc. So all taxpayer can get all information of their municipal in a single place.some facts about legal and financial issues that different city corporations face, but I was least interested in them." Surely, this didn't interest...

When a telecom giant fails the consumer: My Airtel experience

Initially, I was not considering writing this blog about why I found Airtel —one of India’s premier communication service providers—to have an outrageously poor sales and customer-service experience, at least in Ahmedabad , Gujarat ’s business capital. However, the last SMS I received from Airtel regarding my request for a Wi-Fi connection in my flat in the Vejalpur area left me stunned.

Varnashram Dharma: How Gandhi's views evolved, moved closer to Ambedkar's

My interaction with critics and supporters of Mahatma Gandhi, ranging from those who consider themselves diehard Gandhians to Left-wing and Dalit intellectuals, has revealed that in the long arc of his public life, few issues expose his philosophical tensions more than his shifting stance on Varnashram Dharma—the ancient Hindu concept that society should be divided into four varnas, or classes, based on duties and aptitudes.

RTI framework ‘nuked’? SHANTI Bill triggers alarm, grants centre sweeping secrecy powers

Has the Government of India finally moved to completely change important provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, that too without bringing about any amendment in the top transparency law? It would seem so, if one is to believe well known civil society leaders' keen observations on the nuclear energy Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. Senior RTI activist Amrita Johri has sharply criticised the recently passed Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, saying that it has effectively “nuked” the Right to Information (RTI) Act through the back door.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

Would breaking idols, burning books annihilate caste? Recalling a 1972 Dalit protest

A few days ago, I received an email alert from a veteran human rights leader who has fought many battles in Gujarat for the Dalit cause — both through ground-level campaigns and courtroom struggles. The alert, sent in Gujarati by Valjibhai Patel, who heads the Council for Social Justice, stated: “In 1935, Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti . In 1972, we broke the idol of Krishna , whom we regarded as the creator of the varna (caste) system.”

Search This Blog