The security question

Like other issues in Gujarat, how safe one feels is also a question of what religion one belongs to. About 42 per cent of Muslims feel that security conditions have deteriorated, a sentiment echoed by 31 per cent of the Dalit population. About 39 per cent of Hindus feel that security has improved over the last five years in Gujarat as against 20 per cent who feel it has worsened.

The issue is more polarised in urban Gujarat. Hindus in urban Gujarat think that security of people like them has improved as compared to their rural counterparts while the Muslims in urban Gujarat feel highly insecure. About 47 per cent of Muslims living in urban areas feel that security in the state has worsened. The opinion gap between urban Hindus and urban Muslims is very high.

The gender divide isn’t too deep here but Muslim men seem to feel more insecure as compared to Muslim women. About 37 per cent of Muslim women are not happy with the security in the state as compared to 46 per cent of Muslim men.

Education appears to have a direct influence on how safe people feel. People with higher education seem to think that security has improved in the last five years.

On the whole, there is lesser dissatisfaction with the state law and order situation as compared to the security issue. About 16 per cent of the population feel that the law and order situation has deteriorated while 25 per cent think it has remained the same. About 32 per cent see an improvement in the last five years in the law and order condition.

Is security an issue that will influence voting? People who think the security situation has improved are likely to vote for the BJP while those who feel that the situation has remained the same or has deteriorated are more likely to vote for the Congress.