And as both the US and China try to strengthen their ties with India, Indians view the USA with warmth and China with suspicion.
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The annual Pew Research Center’s survey of the state of the nation found two-thirds of the Indian public satisfied with the direction of the country and eight-in-ten think the economy is doing well.
The survey also found that almost seven-in-ten (68%) see their country gaining global prominence today than it did 10 years ago.
The hostility towards Pakistan and China’s relationship with it also translated into support for an aggressive military stance – 63% Indians backed increased military spending, while 20% said it should be kept the same and only 6% felt it needed to be reduced.
Furious over the Uri terror attack, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) burnt effigies of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday and demanded strong action by the Modi Government. Roughly seven-in-ten Indians believe that when today’s children grow up they will be better off financially than their parents. “About six-in-ten (62%) Indians approve of Modi’s handling of unemployment”, the report says, adding, “About six-in-ten overall (61%) approve of Modi’s handling of terrorism”.
Indians support a tough attitude when it comes to dealing with the world. “Nevertheless, Indians give priority to issues at home. But only about a quarter want their country to help other nations deal with their problems”, the report said. These positive views are down 10 percentage points in the past year.
Interestingly, nearly seven-in-ten Indians (68%) believe air pollution is a very big problem in their country.
Roughly four in-ten living in the north say the economy is doing very well (42 per cent), while people living in the western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh (26 per cent) and in the south (30 per cent) are less likely than those in the north to believe the economy is performing very well. He fared the worst in communal relations and air pollution, with approval for both at 53%.
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This time, he seems to have stayed away from the philosophical path. Letterman’s questions appear to have got a more direct response, which seems appropriate considering Modi has made India the spearhead of the International Solar Alliance, an international effort to move to renewable energy. Sixty-five per cent said they were satisfied, up 9 points from past year and more than double what was felt in 2013.
