India ranks 4th in global survey assessing public perception of govt response to COVID-19

India ranked 4th among 19 countries in a global survey conducted to assess public perception of government response against COVID-19, scoring 63.88 out of 100. As reported by Hindustan Times, the nations that ranked ahead of India included China (80.48), South Korea (74.54) and South Africa (64.62). Over 13,400 people were surveyed and the findings were out in PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science since 2006. 

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Survey to assess public perception of govt in COVID-19: India ranks 4th 

The average score of the countries varied between 35.76 for Ecuador to 80.48 for China. The most positive public response was recorded in China. As per the survey reports, the United States of America (USA) ranks 17th in terms of government cooperation with the other nationals and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO). The score of every country in the survey depicts the level of trust the public has over its government. 

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Despite the fact that most of the countries adopted a series of common safety measures such as the closure of businesses, mobility restrictions, places of worship and schools were shut, etc. Jeffrey V Lazarus, a researcher at ISGlobal said that basic tools are needed to help researchers assess the public perception of the government's response to Coronavirus such as healthcare services, social welfare, proper communication, etc. 

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Asian countries have reported the highest scores in the survey unlike Latin America and European nations. Questions that were asked to the public were, whether the government communicated clearly to ensure that everyone is aware of how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, irrespective of their migrant status, ethnicity, language, or socio-economic conditions.

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Another question was whether the government is prepared for the pandemic with public health teams and medical experts. People were also asked if they had access to healthcare services. The researchers hope that the data collected by the survey would help the public health officials and other decision-makers to identify and rectify weaknesses in key aspects of a country's battle against COVID-19. 

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