Data watching: Covid-19 in India

We consume data on a daily basis from multiple sources and in various formats. Often due to this excessive number crunching and overload of information, the most important messages from data are lost. Polstrat’s objectives include creating methodologies and processes that will help channel a solution-oriented approach and better decision-making.

Through “Statistically Speaking”, we hope to use political, social and economic data and analyses to judge the mood of the Indian public. This week’s column attempts to trace the changes in public opinion about the virus since 16 March 2020, a week before the nation went into complete lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. Through the Team C-Voter daily tracking Covid-19 poll, which is the only survey being conducted routinely even in the lockdown throughout South Asia, we see how public perception about the fear of the virus and the government’s handling of the pandemic has changed in the past six months. India now has the second highest number of positive Coronavirus cases in the world, although the government has opened up the economy and lifted lockdowns.