Now Reading: Indians three times more pro-US than Pakistanis: Pew
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Indians three times more pro-US than Pakistanis: Pew
A new Pew survey of 36 countries finds 45% of Indians view the US favourably, compared to just 15% of Pakistanis. In contrast, nearly 90% of Pakistanis hold a positive view of…
The Story in Brief
A new Pew survey of 36 countries finds 45% of Indians view the US favourably, compared to just 15% of Pakistanis. In contrast, nearly 90% of Pakistanis hold a positive view of China, while only 23% of Indians do. The gap in US-China favourability is widest in Pakistan, Pew notes.
India and Pakistan view each other as the greatest threat: 54% of Indians named Pakistan, and 43% of Pakistanis named India. Overall, 78% of Indians have an unfavourable view of Pakistan, while 91% of Pakistanis view India unfavourably. The survey also shows a broadly positive global image for India, with Sri Lanka most favourable (79%) and Pakistan least (7%).
The Indian Opinion
The Pew numbers confirm what every Indian and Pakistani already knows: mistrust runs deep. But the narrative that this is purely about governments misses the societal dimension, 65% of Indians hold a very unfavourable view of Pakistan, and three-quarters of Pakistanis return the sentiment. Blaming only political leaders lets ordinary citizens off the hook. The real test will be whether bilateral trade talks or water-sharing negotiations can nudge these hardened perceptions even slightly.
Sources (3): hindustantimes.com, indiatoday.in, hindustantimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
