Pew survey: What US, UK and others think about India at 80

At
80,
I dia
is
i c easi gly
a
cou t y
the
wo ld
has
a
opi io
about.

As
I dia
completes
79
yea s
of
i depe de ce,
its
global
sta di g
p ese ts
a
st iki g
study
i
co t asts.A
Pew
Resea ch
Ce te
su vey
co ducted
ac oss
36
cou t ies
betwee
Feb ua y
a d
May
2026
eveals
a
i te atio al
commu ity
divided
dow
the
middle:
a
global
media
of
45%
of
espo de ts
hold
a
favo able
view
of
I dia,
while
41%
exp ess
a
u favo able
opi io .Read
mo e:

80
yea s
o ,
still
e emy
No.
1:
What
I dia s
a d
Pakista is
thi k
of
each
othe Behi d
this
media
lies
a
complex
tapest y
of
geopolitical
shifts,
histo ical
ival ies,
a d
evolvi g
egio al
allia ces.F om
e thusiasm
i
Weste
Eu ope
a d
East
Af ica
to
f osty
hostility
i
pa ts
of
the
Middle
East
a d
South
Asia,
public
pe ceptio
of
the
wo ld’s
most
populous
democ acy
depe ds
heavily
o
whe e
you
ask.

Neighbou hood
co t asts
&
global
sco eca d

Nowhe e
is
this
dive ge ce
mo e
i te se
tha
i
I dia’s
immediate
backya d.
While
p oximity
ca
foste
coope atio ,
i
South
Asia
it
has
p oduced
a tithetical
attitudes.S i
La ka
has
the
most
favou able
view
of
I dia,
with
79%
of
adults
exp essi g
a
positive
opi io .Pakista
sits
at
the
opposite
e d,
with
just
7%
viewi g
I dia
favou ably.
The
gulf
betwee
the
two
cou t ies
eflects
decades
of
co flict,
political
ival y
a d
competi g
atio al
a atives.Tu key
is
a othe
majo
outlie .
O ly
15%
of
Tu ks
have
a
favou able
opi io
of
I dia,
while
a
majo ity
hold
a
u favou able
view.

I
the
West
Ba k
a d
East
Je usalem,
just
18%
exp ess
a
positive
opi io .Yet
beyo d
these
pockets
of
hostility,
I dia
fi ds
co side able
goodwill
ac oss
much
of
the
wo ld.

as
I dia
e te s
its
80th
yea
as
a
i depe de t
atio ,
what
does
the
wo ld
thi k
of
it?

Ke ya
a d
the
U ited
Ki gdom
a k
alo gside
S i
La ka
amo g
the
cou t ies
most
positive
towa ds
I dia,
with
oughly
seve
i
10
adults
exp essi g
favou able
views.Majo ities
i
Ge ma y,
Is ael,
Italy,
Swede ,
Japa
a d
Thaila d
also
see
I dia
positively.I
co t ast,
Lati
Ame ica
publics
exp ess
mixed-to- egative
views,
alo gside
substa tial
sha es
of
espo de ts
who
offe
o
opi io .The
fi di gs
suggest
that
I dia’s
global
image
is
ot
simply
a
eflectio
of
its
diplomatic
allia ces.Eco omic
ties,
st ategic
pa t e ships,
cultu al
familia ity
a d
pe ceptio s
of
I dia’s
g owi g
global
ole
all
appea
to
shape
how
people
view
the
cou t y.

I dia’s
image
is
cha gi g

The
bigge
sto y
is
pe haps
ot
whe e
I dia
sta ds
today,
but
how
its
image
has
cha ged.I
most
cou t ies
su veyed,
opi io s
have
emai ed
elatively
stable
si ce
Pew
last
asked
the
questio .
But
i
10
cou t ies,
the
cha ge
has
bee
statistically
sig ifica t
—
a d
i
seve
of
them,
I dia’s
favou ability
has
falle .Tu key
a d
Nige ia
have
eco ded
the
sha pest
decli es
si ce
2025,
with
the
sha e
of
people
exp essi g
a
favou able
opi io
of
I dia
falli g
by
10
pe ce tage
poi ts
i
both
cou t ies.I dia
has
also
lost
g ou d
i
the
U ited
States,
I do esia,
South
Af ica
a d
Mexico.The
decli e
is
pa ticula ly
st iki g
i
Ba gladesh.Pew’s
p evious
su vey
the e
was
co ducted
i
2024.
Si ce
the ,
the
sha e
of
Ba gladeshis
with
a
favou able
opi io
of
I dia
has
falle
by
15
pe ce tage
poi ts,
leavi g
fewe
tha
half
with
a
positive
view.At
the
same
time,
the
umbe
of
Ba gladeshis
who
do
ot
exp ess
a
opi io
has
also
falle
sha ply,
f om
24%
to
just
7%.
I
othe
wo ds,
mo e
Ba gladeshis
ow
appea
to
have
a
defi ed
opi io
of
I dia
—
a d
that
opi io
has
become
co side ably
less
favou able.The
t e d
is
ot
u ifo mly
egative,
howeve .I dia’s
image
has
imp oved
sig ifica tly
i
Ge ma y,
B itai
a d
S i
La ka.The
sha e
of
B ito s
with
a
favou able
opi io
of
I dia
has
ise
11
poi ts
si ce
2025,
while
Ge ma y
has
eco ded
a
six-poi t
i c ease.
S i
La ka
has
see
a
eve
bigge
jump,
with
favou ability
isi g
14
poi ts
si ce
2024.Looki g
fu the
back
to
2023
eveals
a othe
i te esti g
divide.Ac oss
seve al
Eu opea
cou t ies,
I dia’s
image
has
st e gthe ed
substa tially
si ce
the
fi st
post-pa demic
su vey.
I
Ge ma y,
fo
example,
o ly
47%
had
a
favou able
opi io
of
I dia
i
2023.
That
figu e
has
ow
climbed
to
63%.F a ce
has
followed
a
simila
t ajecto y.
I dia’s
favou ability
the e
has
ise
f om
39%
i
2023
to
50%
today.Outside
Eu ope,
howeve ,
the
pictu e
is
less
e cou agi g.South
Ko ea
is
o e
example.
I
2023,
59%
of
South
Ko ea s
viewed
I dia
favou ably.
Today,
that
figu e
has
d opped
to
44%.Lati
Ame ica
also
te ds
to
lea
mo e
egative,
although
la ge
umbe s
of
people
i
seve al
Eu opea
a d
Lati
Ame ica
cou t ies
do
ot
exp ess
a
opi io
at
all.

Politics
matte s
too

I dia’s
global
image
is
also
shaped
by
domestic
political
ideology
i
some
cou t ies.The
U ited
States
a d
Ca ada
show
a
st iki g
patte :
people
o
the
political
left
a e
mo e
likely
tha
co se vatives
to
view
I dia
favou ably.I
the
US,
54%
of
libe als
exp ess
a
positive
opi io
of
I dia,
compa ed
with
40%
of
co se vatives.
I
Ca ada,
the
co espo di g
figu es
a e
58%
a d
45%.Is ael
p ese ts
almost
the
exact
opposite
pictu e.The e,
68%
of
people
o
the
political
ight
view
I dia
favou ably,
compa ed
with
just
46%
o
the
left.The
ideological
divide
u de li es
how
pe ceptio s
of
I dia
ca
be
tied
ot
o ly
to
I dia’s
ow
policies,
but
also
to
how
diffe e t
political
co stitue cies
i te p et
its
ole
i
the
wo ld.

A
mixed
but
la gely
positive
global
image

So,
as
I dia
e te s
its
80th
yea
as
a
i depe de t
atio ,
what
does
the
wo ld
thi k
of
it?The
a swe
is
eithe
u ifo mly
celeb ato y
o
ove whelmi gly
egative.Pakista
a d
Tu key
may
give
I dia
the
sti k
eye,
but
they
ep ese t
the
mo e
hostile
e d
of
a
much
b oade
spect um.F om
S i
La ka
a d
Ke ya
to
B itai ,
Ge ma y
a d
Is ael,
I dia
e joys
st o g
positive
se time t
i
seve al
st ategically
impo ta t
cou t ies.

At
the
same
time,
the
decli es
i
Ba gladesh,
the
US,
South
Ko ea,
Tu key,
Nige ia
a d
othe
cou t ies
show
that
I dia’s
global
image
ca ot
be
take
fo
g a ted.I dia’s
i te atio al
eputatio
is
the efo e
becomi g
mo e
co seque tial
—
a d
mo e
co tested.As
New
Delhi
seeks
a
la ge
ole
i
global
affai s,
its
challe ge
will
ot
simply
be
to
build
eco omic
a d
milita y
powe ,
but
also
to
shape
how
that
powe
is
pe ceived
ab oad.At
80,
I dia
is
i c easi gly
a
cou t y
the
wo ld
has
a
opi io
about.

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