A Pew Research Centre survey reports that 71% of Israelis have good opinions of India, making Israel the country with the highest favourable views of India.
In contrast, just 28% of South Africans and 22% of Argentinians have a favourable opinion of India. Furthermore, 51% of South Africans have an unfavourable view of India, the highest among the countries surveyed.
Views on India
According to the report, many of the 23 countries surveyed had favourable opinions of India. A median of 46% have a favourable view of India, while 34% have an unfavourable view.
Views of India are most favourable in Israel, where 71% have a favourable opinion of the nation. India and Israel are members of the I2U2 (India, Israel, the US, and the UAE), and India is the leading destination for Israeli arms exports.
As per the report, India is also viewed favourably in Kenya, Nigeria, and the UK, where at least six out of ten people have a favourable opinion of the country. Kenya and Nigeria also stand out for almost a quarter of their populations having a highly favourable view of India.
In contrast, South Africans see India more critically than favourably. About half of those surveyed have an unfavourable view of the country, with 36% having a very negative opinion, while 28% have a positive opinion.
Likewise, around half of those surveyed in the Netherlands and Spain have a critical view of the Asian country.
In most countries, at least one out of every ten people has no opinion on India. Argentines are particularly likely to have no opinion on the country (43%).
Favourable views of India have fallen by 12 and 6 percentage points in Indonesia and South Korea, respectively, where surveys were last conducted in 2018.
Brazil (-14 points) and South Africa (-8 points) have been more critical of India since the last survey in 2013, whereas Mexico (+18 points) and Nigeria (+15 points) have become more supportive, the report stated.
Meanwhile, favourable views of India have declined by 10 percent or more in all five European nations where past data is available. The most significant shift can be seen in France, where just 39% now have a favourable view of India, compared to 70% in 2008.
🇮🇳 Around 80% of Indians have favorable view of PM Modi
— Swarajya (@SwarajyaMag) August 30, 2023
👍 55% have 'very favorable' view
🌍 70% believe India's influence has grown, says Pew survey #India #Modihttps://t.co/gbcr6HyO7q
Opinions on PM Modi
According to the report, Indian PM Narendra Modi, who has been in power since 2014, is seen favourably among Indian adults. About eight out of 10 Indians have a favourable opinion of the PM, with 55% having a very favourable opinion. One-fifth of Indians have an unfavourable opinion of Modi.
However, opinions on Modi are divided, with 40% saying they have no confidence in him to do the right thing in international affairs and 37% saying they have at least some confidence.
Mexicans and Brazilians are particularly critical of Modi, who is often portrayed as encouraging Hindu nationalist ideology and leads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which some scholars define as a right-wing party.
People in Argentina, South Africa, South Korea, and the US are likewise less likely to have confidence in India’s PM, assuming they offer an opinion.
In contrast, people in Japan, Kenya, and Nigeria are more inclined to have confidence in Modi’s abilities. Kenyans are more optimistic, with a 60% majority believing Modi would do the right thing in world affairs.
The report stated that in Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea, where trend data is available, trust in Modi has remained unchanged since 2015.
Notably, the percentage of people who do not have an opinion of Modi has decreased in all three nations. The change is largest in South Korea, where 16% today do not respond, compared to 34% in 2015.