New Delhi: India and Pakistan have sharply divergent views of the major world powers, with Indians leaning more towards the US and Russia, while Pakistanis see China as a close ally, according to the Pew Research Center’s 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.
The survey of 42,000 individuals across 36 countries, conducted between 9 February and 13 May, found that Indians feel three times more favourably towards the US than their counterparts in Pakistan and see President Donald Trump in a better light.Data showed that while 15 percent of Pakistani adults viewed the US favourably and 12 percent were positive about Trump, the numbers for India were 45 percent and 39 percent respectively.
Similarly, while China is viewed much more favourably in Pakistan, Indians are more wary of China.The survey found that while 54 percent of Indians view Pakistan as their greatest threat, 21 percent of Indians also view China as a top threat. Pakistanis, for their part, are highly favourable toward China, with 75 percent viewing it as a close ally.Infographic: Manya Aggarwal/ThePrint
An overwhelming 90 percent of Pakistanis view China favourably, while 83 percent view President Xi Jinping favourably, compared with only 23 percent and 25 percent of Indians.Indians also view Russia more positively than Pakistanis. The survey showed that 58 percent of Indians have a favourable view of Russia while 51 percent view Vladimir Putin positively, compared with 39 percent and 32 percent of Pakistanis. Also, 36 percent of Indians say Russia is their closest ally and 16 percent put the US on the list. Pakistanis, on their part, consider Israel and America as their second and third greatest rivals.While Indians displayed a considerable preference for the US, Pakistanis leaned in the Chinese direction on issues such as trustworthiness as a partner, taking other countries’ interests into account, interference in other countries’ affairs, and maintaining global peace and stability.Infographic: Harini TS/ThePrint
