Rising unemployment and nationalism on religious lines are the two key issues bothering citizens ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, revealed a survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS and the Azim Premji University.

“20% of those surveyed said unemployment was the biggest issue facing India, and 15% said the top government priority should be a remedy to joblessness,” said the survey titled “Politics and Society between Elections 2019.” The second and third issues cited were ‘development’ (15%) and ‘law, governance and corruption’ (13%).

60% of those interviewed for the survey said no minorities and migrants but influential people blocked progress. This sentiment was stronger among the youth. 61% of those below 35 years of age felt about elites blocking development.

51% of those above 35 years held the same view, said the report.

People also said it was easier to get admission in government schools than a water connection.

The report said though caste identities were prominent, these were over-shadowed by religious identities when it came to religious nationalism.

The survey found the Indian Army was the most trusted institution in the country with an effective trust of 88%, followed by courts (60%). Political parties were the least trusted as 55% people expressed their mistrust in them.

People in UP, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Assam sought punishment for those who don’t say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at public functions. But residents of Nagaland, J&K, Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab and West Bengal disagreed.