New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS): The IANS C-Voter Battle for the States survey has divulged a surprising pattern about the likeliness of national issues concerning the public at large.

While the farmers' issues remain a burning topic in the political and public sphere for close to two months now, it has remained unpopular in the public discourse of national issues.

The survey revealed that farmers' issues are the least troubling factor among the population living in the southern and eastern parts of the country. Merely 0.57 percent of the respondents chose it as the most important problem facing the nation now.

However, it has struck a chord with the public sentiment in Tamil Nadu since more than 25 percent of the respondents there chose it as the most important national issue.

The survey was conducted in five poll-bound states -- Puducherry, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam -- with a sample size of more than 45,000 respondents.

As per the survey, people were found to be most concerned about unemployment, followed by the rising prices of commodities. Surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the whole world to bend on its knees, also didn't concern the people much.

However, it topped the charts of national issues in Kerala since more than 24 percent of the respondents there chose it as the most concerning factor of worry, the survey revealed.

The survey indicated that unemployment is the most pressing issue in poll-bound West Bengal. As many as 26.86 percent of the respondents were found to be most worried about unemployment in the state.

The people in Puducherry chose "local issues" as the most concerning factor. Close to 26 percent of the respondents there selected it as their most concerning factor. It speaks volumes about the local state of affairs in the Union Territory.