Most Indians find unemployment and price rise Modi Govt’s biggest failures: Survey

Unemployment and the rise in commodity prices have been found to be serious issues that a vast majority of Indians believe are the biggest failures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which is now in its third term, according to a survey conducted by India Today and C-Voter in February 2025.

More than three-fourths of the respondents described the unemployment situation as either very serious or somewhat serious, with 55% of those surveyed considering the situation very serious, while 21% saw it as somewhat serious, and only 5% believed it was not at all serious.

Regional disparities were also evident in the survey, as 64% in the northeast and 60% in the east described the unemployment crisis as very serious, compared to 48% in the south.

Unemployment and price rise emerged as the most significant failures of the Modi government over the past 11 years, with 21% of the respondents identifying these issues as the government’s biggest shortcoming, while 24% said unemployment is the biggest problem India faces today, and 17% cited price rise and inflation.

A large section of respondents struggled with rising costs, as 64% found it difficult to manage their daily expenses compared to last year, whereas another 27% acknowledged that expenses had increased but were still manageable.

Economic hardships were particularly pronounced among lower-income groups, as 70% of the respondents in this category reported that their current expenses had become difficult to manage, and in response to economic challenges, an overwhelming 82% of those surveyed supported the introduction of a universal basic income scheme, while only 14% opposed it.

The survey also highlighted concerns regarding the Modi government’s pro-business approach, as 51% of respondents believed that big business had benefitted the most from the government’s policies since 2014, whereas only 9% said that the salaried class had gained, and just 6% identified daily wage earners as the primary beneficiaries.

Income and salary expectations remained bleak among the respondents, as 65% believed that their household income would either deteriorate or remain the same in the next six months, while only 27% anticipated any improvement this year.

The survey also revealed concerns over the Modi government’s alleged misuse of central investigative agencies, as 45% of respondents stated that the government misuses agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Income Tax Department more than any other previous administration, though 42% disagreed with this claim.