Prime Minister Modi is seen favorably by about eight-in-ten (81%) of his countrymen, down just 6 percentage points since 2015.
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Since coming to power, Modi has made foreign policy the cornerstone of his administration, travelling to as many as 42 countries and building India’s image as a regional soft power.
According to the survey, the Indian public’s satisfaction with the direction the country is heading increased 36 percentage points since 2013, a year before Modi came to power. Roughly 68% of those polled believe India plays a more important role in the world today than 10 years ago.
One of the main criticisms of Modi has been his apparent reticence to confront instances of intolerance. Thus, it underlines, “When it comes to views of his leadership, roughly six-in-ten Indians who identify with the BJP see Modi as a unifying figure who stands up for what he believes and gets things done”. They favor a militaristic stance against terrorism and support increased defense spending. Those differences were particularly stark on domestic issues like corruption, unemployment and help for the poor, where support from Congress party backers for Modi’s efforts has fallen since past year. “Indians also favour toughness in dealing with the world”. Eight in ten Indians have a favourable view of the 66-year-old leader, a Pew Research Center report has found. Indians’ view of the economy has also improved by 23 percentage points. But a noteworthy point is that most Indians do not hold a favourable view of China itself. Only 23 percent want India to help other countries, it said.
Indians are far more likely than Americans and Europeans to see their nation’s star on the rise. While, Indians still laud Modi’s handling of key issues like poverty, terrorism and unemployment, he fares slightly less well in public assessment in handling global relations, despite having taken 51 trips to 42 nations since he became the prime minister in 2014.
Reflecting Indians’ positive views of the U.S., American power and influence was viewed as the least threatening of the global issues tested. Prof.Bhim Singh felt satisfied to complete the cycle of his meetings and interviews with all the Prime Ministers of India, now, from Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to Shri Narendra Modi at different times, under different situations with the same mission that he would like to contribute his bless to ensure complete National Integration of J&K with the rest of the country so that the people of J&K shall also share the fruits of freedom, civil and fundamental rights like all other fellow citizens of India. A strong majority (81%) hold a favourable view of Modi, including 57% who have a very favorable opinion of him. Almost seven-in-ten (68%) believe India plays a more important role in the world today than it did 10 years ago.
More than three in five, or 62%, believe that using “overwhelming military force” was the best way to defeat terrorism around the world and about 63% were in support of increasing defence spending.
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The survey was conducted among 2,464 respondents from April 7 to May 24, said half of the respondents disapprove of Modi’s management of India’s volatile relationship with Pakistan. In recent months, there has been an increase in reports of violence from self-appointed cow protection groups, which have proliferated under his tenure.
