AN EMPIRICAL STUDY USING CHI-SQUARE GOODNESS-OF-FIT TEST FOR CYBERCRIME CONTROL AND PUBLIC SATISFACTION IN MADHYA PRADESH

Abstract

India is facing a significant socio-legal and technological problem with respect to cybercrime, as a result of the growth of digital payments, online banking, social media, e-governance and communication through the internet. While India has established legal and institutional measures with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and national cyber crime reporting systems, the effectiveness of cyber crime control is largely dependent on public awareness, police responsiveness, technical and forensic expertise and institutional accessibility. In this study, public awareness and satisfaction with cybercrime control in Madhya Pradesh were assessed. The research used primary data from a survey of 200 respondents by a questionnaire. The responses relate to awareness of cyber laws, effectiveness of enforcement, police response, availability of cyber police stations, technical support, time taken to dispose of cases, reporting of cyber crimes, availability of forensic experts, co-ordination between states, need for dedicated cyber agencies and overall satisfaction. The statistical analysis involved frequency, percentage, bar graph and Chi-square goodness-of-fit test. The results revealed that the public opinion was not uniformly spread across the categories and evidenced strong patterns. The respondents considered cyber law enforcement, cyber police station, technical support, forensic facilities and time taken to dispose cases as critical issues. On the other hand, there was a high demand for cyber safety awareness and dedicated cybercrime agencies. Satisfaction levels were low, with respondents being only partially satisfied. The research found that although cybercrime control in Madhya Pradesh was in its infancy, it needed more enforcement resources, quicker response to complaints, better forensic support, more awareness programs and special agencies. The research may assist policymakers, law enforcement, legal academics and cyber governance bodies in enhancing trust in cybercrime control mechanisms.