Global public opinion of India is positive, finds new Pew survey of 23 countries

Indians view US more positively than adults in most other surveyed countries, but a majority also support Putin. Surveyed countries include US, Israel, Italy, UK, South Korea.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Johannesburg last week | ANI

New Delhi: A survey by US think tank Pew Research Center has found that up to 46 percent of adults from 23 countries — including the US, Canada, Israel, Italy, the UK, South Korea and Poland — hold a favourable view of India, while 34 percent view it unfavourably. 

The survey of 30,861 adults across 24 countries including India was conducted between 20 February and 22 May this year. It assessed the respondents’ views of India and its political leaders, as well as Indians’ views of other countries. 

The survey also found that in a subset of 12 countries, the views on Prime Minister Narendra Modi are mixed — 37 percent respondents said they have confidence in him, while 40 percent said they lack confidence in the Indian PM.

Around 68 percent of Indians surveyed believe that India’s global power is on the rise. In a Pew survey from last year, only around 28 percent of adults across 19 countries said they believed the same. Meanwhile, 48 percent of adults across 19 countries feel India’s power has not changed much in recent years. 

The 23 countries surveyed by Pew are — the US, Canada, Israel, the UK, Italy, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Hungary, Greece, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. 

International views on India 

Seventy-one percent of the respondents from Israel had favourable views about India, the highest compared to the other countries surveyed. According to the Pew report, Israel and India’s relations have been on the upswing in recent years, with India being a top destination for Israeli arms exports, as well as a member of the I2U2 grouping that includes the US, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. 

At least six out of 10 respondents in Kenya, the UK and Nigeria see India favourably, and about a quarter of the respondents from Kenya and Nigeria have very favourable views. 

In comparison, 51 percent of respondents from South Africa see India unfavourably, 28 percent view it favourably, while 36 percent hold a very unfavourable view towards the country. About half the respondents from the Netherlands and Spain also hold an unfavourable view of India, the Pew survey found.

According to the survey report, political ideology also plays a role in how India is evaluated. In Hungary, Australia and Israel, those on the political Right report more favourable views on India than those from the political Left. 

In the US, liberals are more likely than conservatives to hold a positive view of India. In at least 11 of the surveyed countries, views on India have been measured in the past. Across these 11 countries, views on India have generally become more negative since the question was last asked. 

In 2007, 70 percent respondents from France held favourable views towards India. In the latest survey, the number has dropped to 39 percent, while an equal percentage of respondents hold an unfavourable view towards India. Similarly, those who held unfavourable views towards India in Spain have increased to 49 percent from 34 percent in 2007. 

International confidence, or lack thereof, in Modi 

Sixty percent of respondents from Mexico and 54 percent from Brazil have no confidence in Modi doing the right thing as far as world affairs are concerned.

Respondents from the US, South Africa, Argentina and South Korea are also more likely to lack confidence in the Indian PM regarding global affairs. 

In comparison, respondents from Kenya, Japan and Nigeria are more likely to have confidence in Modi’s global leadership, with 60 percent Kenyans saying they have confidence in Modi doing the right thing regarding global affairs. 

57% Indians view Russia favourably 

Indians also view the US more positively than adults in most other surveyed countries. Around 75 percent of Indian respondents hold favourable views towards the US. 

Indians’ views on Russia are also favourable. According to the Pew report, India is the only country surveyed that reported a majority — 57 percent — that hold favourable views towards Russia. Moreover, 59 percent of Indian respondents have confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In comparison, 67 percent of Indian respondents hold an unfavourable view of China. India is the only middle-income country surveyed by Pew that holds a critical view of China. Forty-eight percent Indian respondents have no confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Seventy-three percent of Indian respondents surveyed have an unfavourable opinion of Pakistan, with 81 percent of Indians who support the ruling BJP government, having unfavourable views of the neighbouring country. In comparison, 68 percent of respondents who do not support the ruling government, hold an unfavourable opinion on Pakistan. 

Indians’ views of Modi, Rahul, Kharge

The survey also studied Indians’ views towards Modi and other national leaders. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed said they have a favourable view of the PM. 

Sixty-two percent of the respondents also see Rahul Gandhi in a positive light, while 46 percent view Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge favourably.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)