Outlook of Europeans towards India has turned more negative: Pew Survey

More European countries now have a less favourable attitude towards India, according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Centre. In the five countries included in the study, favourable views for India have declined by 10 percentage points or more.

The Washington-based think tank surveyed 30,861 people in 24 countries between February 20 and May 22 to arrive at the findings. The findings were released on Tuesday.

The most significant change is seen in France, where just 39 per cent now have a favourable view of India, compared with 70 per cent in 2008. There has also been a considerable drop in favourable attitude towards India in Spain.

 

Compared to 48 per cent in 2007, 34 per cent of Spanish hold a positive image of India. In Germany, this has fallen from 60 per cent to 47 per cent.

Polish also view India as less favourable, with the favourability dropping from 59 per cent to 46 per cent.

In the UK, the favourability has fallen from 75 per cent to 66 per cent.

However, all the European countries mentioned above more or less believe that India's global influence has remained the same since 2008.

This is contrary to what Indians think of India's influence. The research showed that 68 per cent of Indians believe that the country's influence has increased in recent years.

This is higher than the average of 19 countries, where only 28 per cent believe that it is becoming more influential. Australia, Italy and South Korea are the top three countries that believe India is getting stronger.

In the US, only 23 per cent believe India's image is getting stronger. 64 per cent said that it has been the same in recent years. The rest 11 per cent said it is getting weaker.

PM Modi is still popular nationally

The research also showed that about eight in every ten Indians (79 per cent) have a favourable view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including a majority of 55 per cent with a very favourable view. Only 20 per cent have a negative view of PM Modi.

In comparison, a median of 37 per cent in 12 countries, most of which are middle-income, reported having confidence in PM Modi to make the right foreign policy choices.

Kenyans are especially confident, with 60 per cent saying they trust Modi to do the right thing regarding world affairs. On the other hand, Argentines are particularly sceptical. Just 12 per cent in Argentina have confidence in him.

What is Pew Research Centre?

Pew Research Center is a Washington-based think tank that releases reports on issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.