MAM
Indian citizens trust defence forces and the PM the most: Ipsos survey
MUMBAI : The news is not so good for all of us who are part of the media. Our tribe ranks even below the police in terms of the trust that the general public places in it, if one were to go by the results of the quarterly survey, the Ipsos IndiaBus Trust in Institutions, conducted by global research company’s Ipsos India..
If the fourth estate is held in such low esteem by its primary customer, the Indian citizen, do media owners need to go back to the drawing board and do a rethink about their raison d’etre ? That’s question that begs an answer! An honest answer!
The Ipsos survey revealed that the defence forces (army, air force and navy) are the most trusted with a score of 56 pr cent, followed by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi who scored 45 per cent positive responses. The RBI came third with a 44 per cent score, followed by the supreme court.
Interestingly, all these institutions have improved their scores over the last quarter (in September) and have shown that the citizens have the highest faith in these institutions, as they continue to serve the nation with exemplary dedication and ethical work practices, says a press release issued by Ipsos India. To be fair even us media folks improved our trust score from 24 per cent in September 2024. But we are a far cry from the 36 per cent we notched up in June 2024.
Politicians (20 per cent), political parties (21 per cent), community leaders (22 per cent), and religious leaders (24 per cent), have even more reasons to be worried as they continue to lead in the distrust list.
The survey displayed certain pockets where the most trusted institutions have higher equity among the citizens.
The defence forces have received higher trust scores among the tier1 citizens (71 per cent), the north zone (69 per cent), the west zone (68 per cent), the employed (67 per cent), tier2 (63 per cent), metros (62 per cent) and males (61 per cent) etc.
The PM of the country received highest scores in the north zone (62 per cent), tier1 (57 per cent) and tier 2 (57 per cent) cities, the west zone (52 per cent), the employed (51 per cent) and males (48 per cent). Whlle the RBI was trusted most by the west zone (61 per cent), tier1 (59 per cent) and tier2 (54 per cent) citizens, the north zone (53 per cent) and the employed (52 per cent). Across these three institutions, they have a common thread of supporters with high trust – though only in the case of the RBI, trust is high in the west zone, Mumbai being the commercial capital of India.
Ipsos India group service line leader, public affairs, corporate reputation, CSR & ESG Parijat Chakraborty pointed out that the topper institutions are the backbone of the nation with their word being sacrosanct. “After all, they have stood the test of time in serving the nation with transparency, equality and justice. All these institutions command respect – whether our defence forces, PM of the country, the RBI, the supreme court of India, the parliament – and their reputation has been built over years of impeccable delivery and service to the nation,” he elaborated.
According to him politicians, political parties, community leaders, and religious leaders, are institutions that need to win the trust of the masses through greater transparency and fulfilment of their promises to the electorate and patrons on one hand and managing their reputation through visibility around their achievements via communication, not leaving anything to speculation. He highlighted one positive outcome from the survey for them. ”We see recovery in scores to the previous levels, after a dip in September,” he said.
(For the doubting Thomases who doubt the survey’s authenticity, at least use it as a guide post. Ipsos IndiaBus is a monthly pan India omnibus – which also runs multiple client surveys- that uses a structured questionnaire and is conducted by Ipsos India on diverse topics among 2200+ respondents from Sec A, B and C households, covering adults of both genders from all four zones in the country. The survey is conducted in metros, tier one, tier two and tier three towns, providing a more robust and representative view of urban Indians. The respondents were polled face to face and online. We have city-level quota for each demographic segments that ensure the waves are identical and no additional sampling error. The data is weighted by demographics and city-class population to arrive at a national average. )
Buying family medical insurance online in India has become a common option for individuals who want to secure health coverage for multiple family members under a single policy. However, many buyers are unsure about the exact steps involved in selecting and purchasing the right plan online.
In this guide, you will know the step-by-step process of buying family medical insurance online in India, along with the key factors to review before purchasing a suitable policy.
Step 1: Assess Your Family’s Healthcare Needs
Before buying online health insurance, check the healthcare needs of all family members. Check age, existing illnesses, regular medicines, and the likely need for hospital care later. This helps in selecting a suitable sum insured, policy type, and level of cover. It also reduces the chance of buying a plan that appears suitable but does not meet actual medical needs.
Step 2: Visit the Insurance Company’s Official Website
After understanding the family’s needs, visit the insurer’s official website and read the plan details carefully. Use the official platform to review eligibility, policy wording, waiting periods, cover details, exclusions, and renewal terms.
This step gives a clearer understanding of how the policy works before payment is made. It also helps avoid confusion caused by incomplete summaries on other pages.
Step 3: Compare Available Family Health Insurance Plans
A family medical insurance policy should be compared on factors beyond the premium. Review the sum insured, hospital network, room rent limits, pre- and post-hospitalisation cover, daycare treatment coverage, and waiting periods. It is also important to check treatment sub-limits and specific policy conditions.
Careful comparison helps determine whether a plan provides balanced coverage and whether its terms are suitable for the healthcare needs of the entire family.
Step 4: Choose the Right Policy and Start the Online Purchase
Once the options have been compared, select the policy that best fits the family’s medical needs and budget. Before starting the application, review the covered members, policy term, benefits, and main conditions again. This is an important stage because errors here can lead to the wrong cover amount, an unsuitable variant, or missing details that create problems during policy use.
Step 5: Calculate the Premium Using an Online Calculator
Use the online premium calculator before making the final choice. Enter the correct details, including age, city, number of insured members, and selected cover amount. The result helps in understanding the expected premium and whether the policy fits the annual budget. This step is useful because it allows cost and coverage to be reviewed together, instead of choosing a plan only because the premium looks lower.
Step 6: Fill in Personal and Medical Details
When filling in the proposal form, provide accurate details for each insured member. This includes name, date of birth, contact details, medical history, ongoing treatment, and previous insurance information if required.
Every answer should be complete and truthful. Incorrect or missing details can create difficulty later. Before you submit the form, read every section again and correct any mistakes.
Step 7: Make Payment Through the Secure Payment Gateway
After checking the form, go to the payment page and complete the transaction through the secure payment gateway. Review the premium, policy term, and entered details once more before confirming payment.
After the transaction is completed, save the receipt, reference number, or confirmation message carefully. Keeping this record is useful if you need to track the purchase or follow up on policy issuance later.
Step 8: Download and Keep Your Policy Document Safely
Once the policy is issued, download the policy document, schedule, and any related papers without delay. Read them carefully to confirm member names, policy period, sum insured, and major terms. Save a digital copy in a secure folder and keep a printed copy if needed. Proper record keeping makes future renewals, document checks, and policy servicing easier and more organised when information is required quickly.
Conclusion
Buying health cover online becomes easier when you handle each step with attention. From checking your family’s needs to reading the final document, every stage helps you make an informed choice. A careful approach can reduce mistakes, improve your understanding of policy terms, and help you choose coverage that matches your household’s medical needs, financial capacity, and long-term healthcare planning in a reliable way for your family over the long term.
