A detailed analysis of data received from a survey conducted on the InMobi Pulse platform, combined with the data available with the InMobi Audience Intelligence platform, has revealed that misinformation abounds among Indian citizens about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The survey found that 60 per cent of the respondents were unsure of the origins of coronavirus. As much as 40 per cent of them thought that it was a biomedical experiment that had gone wrong or it was a biowar between the US and China.
Indian citizens were also of the view that the world economy was in deep trouble due to the coronavirus as 43 per cent consumers believed that all leading economies, including India, will be affected, while 30 per cent of people thought that the world is heading for recession.
The survey responses were combined with an analysis of aggregated data signals received from the InMobi Audience Intelligence platform from the first week of January to March 23. The analysis found location trends across the country through data signals from places of interest or polygons (created by InMobi for over 66,000 locations across India). The survey had around 1,874 unique and valid responses from different respondents.
Interestingly, the survey observed that Indians had generally poor understanding of symptoms of the coronavirus and only 11 per cent of the respondents were able to correctly identify two of the key symptoms associated with coronavirus—cough and cold with shortness of breath and high fever with body pain.
“Broadly, the consumer sentiment does not seem great as more than half the respondents expect the world economy to be in the doldrums. What is far more worrying is that six out of ten respondents are unsure of the origins of coronavirus and only 1 in 10 can identify two key symptoms of the disease,” explained Vasuta Agarwal, MD for APAC, InMobi.
“The panic created by the pandemic has led to 4 in 10 consumers hoarding kitchen supplies, which is clearly seen in an 80 per cent spike in supermarket or grocery store visits. Meanwhile, with a majority of the folks practising social distancing, restaurants had seen a 90 per cent drop in visits. Also, the price-conscious consumer takes a backseat as 70 per cent of the population is now focused on germ-killing abilities of their personal care products over the brand or the price,” said Vasuta Agarwal.
The survey pointed out that only one in three Indians were very satisfied with the measures taken by the government to prevent and treat coronavirus. The survey found that with most nonessential services unavailable, Indians were struggling to manage it all. The study found that the respondents were facing difficulty in purchasing hand wash and sanitisers in times when maintaining hygiene is of most importance, causing more anxiety.
Besides this, there has also been a change in their spending behaviour. Half of the consumers are increasing or decreasing expenditure on certain aspects of their regular lifestyle. At the same time, there was also scarcity of food essentials and 16 per cent of respondents were facing challenges in sourcing food essentials.
“Since the announcement of the curfew, consumers are spending a majority of their time on digital platforms, especially mobile apps to connect, stay updated or engage themselves. While gaming apps had seen a 110 per cent surge in usage, news apps and image and video editor apps were witnessing a 30 per cent and 60 per cent increase in usage (respectively). With a huge cloud of uncertainty floating around, the daily lives of consumers witness some highly unique and unheard of changes,” remarked Agarwal.
The survey also found that there was an increase in OTT and TV consumption as with all the time being spent at home, people are watching more content online. The survey observed since the people are forced to stay inside more and are unable to freely move in public spaces, they are leveraging their mobile phones to de-stress and unwind with their families despite the distance.
