News

As India’s views of China plummet, love for Narendra Modi stays strong: survey

arifnsn September 2, 2023

0 61 2 minutes read

[ad_1]

About eight in 10 Indians have a favourable view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most of them see the South Asian country’s global influence strengthening in recent years, according to a report by the Pew Research Centre.

The survey found that 55 per cent have a very favourable view of the Modi, who has been in power since 2014 and is seeking a third term in national elections scheduled for next summer.

Just one-fifth have a negative view of the leader, according to the report released Wednesday ahead of the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi next month.

A man rides past a mural on a wall in New Delhi featuring India’s G20 summit logo earlier this month. Photo: AFP

“Those who support the governing parties in the National Democratic Alliance are much more likely to say India’s influence is on the rise,” Pew said in the report in reference to a coalition Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party leads.

“Men, too, are more likely than women to believe India is getting stronger on the world stage.”

Around seven in 10 Indians said the nation’s influence in recent years have been growing stronger while less than one-fifth think it is getting weaker.

4 things to consider as India overtakes China as most populous nation

India has also positioned itself as a bulwark against China’s economic and military assertiveness in Asia. Officials in Delhi have drawn some pledges of technology transfers from the US and its allies looking to secure weapons contracts.

Two-thirds of Indians express an unfavourable opinion of China, making India the only middle-income country where a majority has unfavourable views of China

Pew Research Centre

The survey found 65 per cent of the Indian respondents see the US more favourably while four in 10 believe that Russia’s global influence has strengthened. India stands out as the only one of the 24 nations surveyed this year where a majority have a favourable opinion of Russia and have confidence in President Vladimir Putin, Pew said.

India lodges strong protest with China over ‘absurd’ territorial claims

“In India, negative views of China have also reached historic highs since the country was last surveyed in 2019,” Pew said. “Two-thirds of Indians express an unfavourable opinion of China, making India the only middle-income country where a majority has unfavourable views of China.”

The survey was carried out with 2,611 Indians between March 25 and May 11, Pew said.

[ad_2]

Source link