Indiantelevision.com Team

(14 August 2007 4:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Indians believe that the country has witnessed the most improvement in the business and commerce sector, says a recent Nielsen study conducted as part of India's Independence Day celebrations.

The Nielsen Company's survey for the 60th year of Indian Independence was conducted using Nielsen India's online research panel Your Voice. The objective of this survey is to understand how people perceived India's growth over the last 60 years as well as understand which areas need to be focused on for future growth.

The key areas, which the respondents think India has improved in the past decades, are business and commerce (57 per cent), science and technology (43 per cent), and education (19 per cent). Interestingly, while India is perceived to have made significant progress as a country, Indians feel that it is not translating into better quality of life with only 15 per cent feeling that their quality of life has improved.

Link to table indicating most progressive areas in India

India's progress is balanced out by the areas which need to progress in order for overall development of the country. Amongst the list of "least progressed" fields over the past decades of Independence, politics makes it to the top (39 per cent). 82 per cent of respondents feel that corruption needs to be eradicated to improve politics and about half feel that uneducated politicians are the main reason for the dismal condition of Indian politics. Poverty eradication programme and law and order follow politics as the least progressed areas.

Link to table indicating least progressive areas in India

Another area where the poor performance of India is reflected is the field of sports, with a paltry 1 per cent of the respondents feeling that India has made progress in sports. More than 50 per cent of the respondents feel that political interference and inadequate sports infrastructure is the reason for the poor performance of India in sports.

Inspite of these setbacks, Patriotism is soaring with 89 per cent of the respondents wishing to be reborn as an Indian if they were given a choice.

Path to success
Poverty eradication is the most important step to drive India's development in the future, according to 65 per cent of the Indians surveyed. Infrastructure and transportation along with improved law and order conditions come as close second with a respective 64 per cent respondents voting for it. About 62 per cent feel that the local education system needs to be uplifted if India has to reach the status of a developed country.

Link to table indicating areas in which India can improve

Impact of Globalization
A majority (63 per cent) of the respondents think that globalization has been beneficial. Better employment opportunity is perceived to be the biggest benefit of globalization. 78 per cent of the respondents think that it will give them better opportunities in India as well as abroad. Over 60 per cent of the Indians surveyed feel that globalization will provide greater exposure to new technologies, improve the standard of living and the state of infrastructure in the country.

Less than a quarter of the respondents see more harm from globalization than benefit. The biggest concern for them is the harmful effect that globalization will have on local industries. As many as 62 per cent of the respondents feel that local industries may perish due to globalization. About 60 per cent think that globalization will adversely impact farmers and agriculturists. Half the respondents (51 per cent) were more worried that globalization will lead to loss of Indian values and culture.

"Globalization will lead to greater exposure to other cultures, their customs and their ways of living. In an age of such wide reach of media, leading to higher levels of awareness of other cultures, it is a great task to prevent oneself from adopting new habits and customs if they are more appealing and suitable to one's living." said The Nielsen Company, India director, measurement science and technical training N.S.Muthukumaran.

What attracts Indians to India?
Half the respondents (50 per cent) feel that the rich Indian culture is the most attractive factor for being proud to be an Indian. "Such diverse and rich culture is rarely found in one country and to belong to it is a special feeling in itself," Muthukumaran added. "Indians also take pride in the fact that they have a woman president."

The second most important factor that Indians feel good about is the freedom and democratic spirit of India. 19 per cent of the respondents like to live in India for the freedom that they enjoy in the country.

The findings also suggest that even though patriotism is strong, 60 per cent of the respondents feel that Indians today are less patriotic than they were 10 years ago. It is interesting to note that the minority 11 percent, who do not wish to be reborn as Indians, comprises mainly of youth aged between 15 to 24 years. "Young people today are more informed, curious about everything and are aggressive. It is not surprising that some would aspire to something new and different if they had a choice," added Muthukumaran.