Indians Favor U.S.; Consider Pakistan a Threat: Survey

Bangalore: Indians like the United States most and Pakistan least, revealed the India Poll 2013 survey. On a scale of 0 to 100 Indians ranked the U.S. first at 62 degrees, followed by Singapore (58), Japan (57) and Australia (56). It was also noted that Indians feel warmer towards these countries than the BRICS group with which India is often seen to share diplomatic or economic interests: Brazil (44), Russia (53), China (44) and South Africa (47).

While 80-85 percent Indians see shortages of energy, food and water as big threats to the country's security, 94 percent consider Pakistan a threat.

Pakistan was considered a threat with terrorism being cited as a major reason. Nevertheless, 89 percent of Indians agreed that ordinary people in both countries want peace. Further the poll results suggest suspicion towards China from the Indian public as 83 percent Indians consider China a security threat. The reasons for this mistrust are China’s possession of nuclear weapons, competition for resources in third countries, China’s efforts to strengthen its relations with other countries in the Indian Ocean region, and the China-India border dispute.

In terms of India-U.S. relations, most Indians (83 percent) consider India-U.S. relations to be strong. Just 31 percent of Indians think the U.S. poses a threat to India, and a meager 9 percent see it as a major threat.

Also Read: Indians Sceptical Of China's Policy towards Asia, India
Also Read: 10 Wealthiest Indian Politicians