From demanding tougher action in Kashmir to BJP supporters trusting media: 10 things Pew survey said about India

Pew Research asked a host of questions to 2464 Indians selected strategically from 16 of the 18 most populous states  (except Kerala and Assam). Some of the replies fit with the general perception whereas others may come across as counter intuitive to the general narrative commonplace in newsrooms and political circles. 

Indians extremely happy with the state of democracy:

How often have we seen columns about democracy dying in India? Well, it may be for the Lutyens elite, trying to cope with the changing realities but common people clearly don't share the feeling. 85% people  trust democracy and 79% are satisfied with the way democracy is running. So the rhetoric about failing democracy clearly holds no currency with those who matter, the voters.

However, India won't mind a military regime too: 

If the Pew survey is to be believed, 53% Indians are okay with being ruled by the military. In a separate question, 86% respondents have said that military has very good influence in the country. The acceptance of a hypothetical military rule is in contrivance to the above point of people being happy with democracy. What can explain this apparent dichotomy? Perhaps it is the high respect the armed forces get in the country and the inherent notion that military would impart a much-needed discipline missing in public life. 

Almost 55% also support a strong leader, and it is skewed heavily amongst BJP supporters and those in urban areas. That may possibly explain the enthusiastic response towards demonetization, which was largely hailed as a dramatic measure done to  cleanse the financial system.

People in South India are more happy with economy:

This probably comes as no surprise. The Southern states are well off on average than their fellow countrymen. Hence, 91% are satisfied with the state of economy, whereas it is only 79% for Eastern India. 

 Only one in three care for communal relations:

While there is tonnes of newsreel and TV time spent on discussing several instances of communal disharmony in the country, that is not exactly the concern of the common Indian. However, it doesn't mean it is not a serious issue. It merely shows the politicians and media aren't on the same page as the audience. Crime and terrorism are the top recall issues plaguing Indians. 

From Russia, with love:

Nearly 44% Indians have favourable views about Russia, little less than US enjoying 49% of favourability. This is counter-intuitive considering the amount of pop culture influence one can see in urban India. The goodwill of US has fallen from 58% to 49%, possibly owing to talks of tightening norms for H1B visa among others. Indians though have a 41% approval rating for Donald Trump, much higher than what he enjoys in many other countries. But what explains India's love for Russia? Perhaps the historical bond and presence of a strong leader in Putin who is seen as a man who can get things done. 

We hate Pakistan, South India a little less: 

If Youtube comments in Coke Studio Pakistan videos are to be believed, India and Pakistan can totally be friends but it's the politicians who are keeping the feud going. That theory though is not exactly backed by data from this survey. 72% have a negative view of Pakistan and in fact Modi government's ambivalent Pak policy has got extremely low ratings (22%). So the shroud of suspicion is pretty high about Pakistan. However, only 36% in South India have an unfavourable view about Pakistan, much lesser than in East, North and West. 

Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai misnomer?

56% Indians are wary about China's growing military clout. Nearly one in two Indians also feel, their growing economic dominance is bad news for us. Globally, China's dominance comes third in list of threats for Indians, only next to global climate change and threat from ISIS. This survey was done in pre-Doklam era, so the ill-feeling towards Chinese is likely to grow more. 

Jholawalas are more trusted than godmans:

In India, the human rights organisations have often come from severe criticism from different sections for peddling their own agenda. They have been derided as jholawalas by sections of media and people in social media. Some have even been branded as 'anti-national'. But Indians in general, have a positive view about them. About 67% think they have positive influence, whereas for religious leaders, it is way below at 53%. This again, was before teh Baba Ram Rahim Singh fiasco. So favourability for religious leaders may have plummeted further. 

More BJP supporters believe in media than Congress: 

The mainstream media has often been vilified online, with one Union Minister even coining a colourful name for the press. However if the survey is to be believed, 76% Indians believe media has good influence in general, though the intensity of faith has significantly gone down from 2015. 

The survey says, 79% BJP supporters believe media has a good influence, nearly 20 points more than that of Congress supporters. It would come as a surprise for people who inhabit a Twitter echo chamber. 

Spare the rod, spoil insurgents in Kashmir:

About 63% Indians are in favour of more stringent military action in Kashmir. Only 8% advocate for less. So while the doves may call for withdrawal of AFSPA and other measures, the Indian public is overwhelmingly hoping for the state to crush the insurgency in the Valley. This survey was done, when the unrest in J&K post Burhan Wani's death was still simmering. So the continued media reports from that timeframe may have somewhat skewed the response. 

Read the full report here