We are proud of what we are

* Nine out of ten Indians would like to reborn as an Indian

August 14, 2007, India: Patriotism amongst Indians is soaring with 89 percent of the respondents wishing to be reborn as an Indian if they were given a choice. As India is celebrating its 60th year of independence, The Nielsen Company conducted an online survey to find out what Indians think of their homeland and its future.

The key areas, which the respondents think India has improved in the past decades are Business and Commerce (57%), Science and Technology (43%), and Education (19%). Interestingly, while India is perceived to have made significant progress as a country, Indians feel that it is not translating into better quality of life with only 15 percent feeling that their quality of life has improved. (Table 1)

India's progress is balanced out by the areas which need to progress in order for overall development of the country. Amongst the list of "least progressed" fields over the past decades of Independence, Politics makes it to the top (39%). 82 percent of respondents feel that corruption needs to be eradicated to improve politics and about half feel that uneducated politicians are the main reason for the dismal condition of Indian politics. Poverty eradication programme and Law and Order follow Politics as the least progressed areas. (Table 2)

Another area where the poor performance of India is reflected is the field of Sports, with a paltry 1 percent of the respondents feeling that India has made progress in sports. More than 50 percent of the respondents feel that political interference and inadequate sports infrastructure is the reason for the poor performance of India in sports.

Path to success

Poverty eradication is the most important step to drive India's development in the future according to 65 percent of the Indians surveyed. Infrastructure and transportation along with improved law and order conditions come as close second with a respective 64 percent respondents voting for it. About 62 percent feel that the local education system needs to be uplifted if India has to reach the status of a developed country.

Impact of Globalization

Globalization is a much debated topic for many developing countries. A majority (63%) of the respondents think that globalization has been beneficial. Better employment opportunity is perceived to be the biggest benefit of globalization. 78 percent of the respondents think that it will give them better opportunities in India as well as abroad. Over 60 percent of the Indians surveyed feel that globalization will provide greater exposure to new technologies, improve the standard of living and the state of infrastructure in the country.

Less than a quarter of the respondents see more harm from globalization than benefit. The biggest concern for them is the harmful effect that globalization will have on local industries. As many as 62 percent of the respondents feel that local industries may perish due to globalization. About 60 percent think that globalization will adversely impact farmers and agriculturists. Half the respondents (51%) were more worried that globalization will lead to loss of Indian values and culture.

"Globalization will lead to greater exposure to other cultures, their customs and their ways of living. In an age of such wide reach of media, leading to higher levels of awareness of other cultures, it is a great task to prevent oneself from adopting new habits and customs if they are more appealing and suitable to one's living." said N.S.Muthukumaran, Director, Measurement Science and Technical Training, The Nielsen Company, India.

Another debate, which is as important as the effect of globalization, is the "pace of globalization". A little over half the respondents (54%) feel that the pace of globalization is "just right". About 35 percent think that India is globalizing too fast and about 11 percent feel the process is too slow.

What attracts Indians to India?

Half the respondents (50%) feel that the rich Indian culture is the most attractive factor for being proud to be an Indian. "Such diverse and rich culture is rarely found in one country and to belong to it is a special feeling in itself," Muthukumaran added. "Indians also take pride in the fact that they have a woman president."

The second most important factor that Indians feel good about is the freedom and democratic spirit of India. 19 percent of the respondents like to live in India for the freedom that they enjoy in the country.

Though patriotism is strong, 60 percent of the respondents feel that Indians today are less patriotic than they were 10 years ago. It is interesting to note that the minority 11 percent, who do not wish to be reborn as Indians, comprises mainly of youth aged between 15 to 24 years. "Young people today are more informed, curious about everything and are aggressive. It is not surprising that some would aspire to something new and different if they had a choice," added Muthukumaran.

About the Survey

The Nielsen Company recently conducted a survey on the 60th year of Indian Independence. The survey was conducted using Nielsen India's online research panel Your Voice. The objective of this survey was to understand how people perceived India's growth over the last 60 years as well as understand which areas need to be focused on for future growth. The total number of respondents surveyed was 380 (79% men, 21% women). The sample was also distributed across various age groups (15-24 years - 45%, 25-40 years "� 40%, 41+ years "� 16%). The figures were then weighted on SEC and age to reflect the Internet accessing population in Urban India.

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.