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Pew survey: 54% Indians see Pakistan as biggest threat
A new Pew Research Center survey of South Asian adults found that 54% of Indians view Pakistan as their greatest geopolitical threat, followed by China at 21%. On the other side, 43%…
The Story in Brief
A new Pew Research Center survey of South Asian adults found that 54% of Indians view Pakistan as their greatest geopolitical threat, followed by China at 21%. On the other side, 43% of Pakistanis named India as their primary threat, with Israel and China each at 24%. The survey, conducted between February and May 2026, shows deep mutual hostility: 78% of Indians hold an unfavourable view of Pakistan, and 73% of Pakistanis view India very unfavourably.
Among allies, 36% of Indians named Russia as their top ally, while 75% of Pakistanis pointed to China. Only 12% of Pakistanis had confidence in US President Donald Trump, versus 83% for China's Xi Jinping. In India, 45% viewed the US favourably. The survey also found that 79% of Sri Lankans view India positively, but 42% of Bangladeshis see India as their greatest threat.
The Indian Opinion
The Pew numbers confirm what border skirmishes and rhetoric have long suggested: mistrust between Indians and Pakistanis is baked into public opinion on both sides. Yet the survey also quietly undermines the idea that this hostility is uniform. Indian Muslims were less likely to name Pakistan as the top threat (34%) than Indian Hindus (57%), and more likely to see Pakistanis as committed to peace. That internal variation is rarely part of the mainstream narrative. If the cycle of distrust is ever to break, it will be tested not in capitals but in how ordinary citizens on each side see the other's intentions, and the Pew data shows they do not agree on that either.
Sources (2): economictimes.indiatimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
