Newsmeter survey on coronavirus: 70 per cent people don’t feel safe, yet don't buy masks

Hyderabad: Amid growing Corona virus concerns in the state, a survey found that a whopping 70 per cent of respondents said they do not feel safe in public paces in the city. However, the same 70 per cent also said they did not buy masks as a precautionary measure. These responses were collected as part of a survey conducted by the NewsMeter team after a 24-year-old techie from Hyderabad tested positive for Corona virus on 1 March.

The data shows that while people are concerned about their safety, most of the respondents made no effort to take precautionary measures by buying masks and using hand sanitisers. Only 30 per cent said they felt safe in public spaces during this time.

Notably, the Twitter survey also showed that there was a critical non-availability of masks and hand sanitisers in the city. While around 41 per cent people said they did not buy a mask, around 14 per cent said masks were not available in the market. Interestingly, 47 per cent of the respondents said the media has hyped the news regarding COVID-19, while in reality there was no real issue on the ground. An alarming 63 per cent of the respondents said the media was responsible for blowing the issue out of proportion.

Out of the 40 respondents surveyed, the majority believed that homeopathic medicine cannot be used to prevent the virus. A whopping 95 per cent said homeopathic medicines will have no effect on the virus.

The survey was conducted by the NewsMeter team and the respondents, aged between 18-30 years, were from in and around Hyderabad city. The Twitter survey produces broader demography with respondents from different locations across the country.