Exclusive Outlook—AC Nielsen OpinionPoll
66% say Bush isIndia’s Friend
Urban India is under no illusions: ‘We need America, we trustAmerica. But it’s closer to Pakistan than India.’
Yet, the progress in Indo-US relations hasprompted critics to ask: is India getting too close for comfort with the US,relinquishing its independent foreign policy and kowtowing to Washington’sbidding? They cite the vote on Iran and the Indo-US defence cooperation pact of2005 to bolster their argument, further claiming that the nuclear deal with theUS is aimed at capping India’s nuclear capabilities and consequentlycompromising its security.
Forget the critics, what do the people think ofthe Indo-US relationship? Does the government’s overdrive in wooing the UShave the endorsement of the people? Can India trust the US, regarded worldwideas a bully intent upon having its way?
To get answers to these questions—and manymore—Outlook commissioned reputed pollsters AC Nielsen to elicit theview of urban India on its perceptions of Bush, his country and Indiangovernment policy. In all, 1,632 interviews were conducted among a cross-sectionof the public comprising the lower middle class and above. The interviews wereconducted face-to-face with the respondents at their home. Only those aware ofGeorge Bush being the US president were interviewed for the survey. The ninecities chosen for the survey were: Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore,Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Patna.
| Is George Bush a friend of India? | |
| Strongly agree | 21 |
| Somewhat agree | 45 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 15 |
| Somewhat disagree | 8 |
| Strongly disagree | 11 |
| | |
| Is America closer to Pakistan than India? | |
| Closer to India | 30 |
| Closer to Pakistan | 50 |
| Equally close to both | 16 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 4 |
| Has India compromised on its foreign policy by becoming closer to the US? | |
| Yes | 59 |
| No | 29 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 12 |
| What feelings come to mind when you think about the US? | |
| Love the country | 46 |
| Hate the country | 14 |
| Neutral | 39 |
| Does India need the US? (Only those who mentioned that they hate or are neutral towards the US were asked this question) | |
| Yes | 54 |
| No | 38 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 8 |
| Do you think India can trust the US for support in times of need? | |
| Yes | 55 |
| No | 36 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 9 |
| Is America a bully? | |
| Yes | 72 |
| No | 24 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 5 |
| Has the US done enough to help India in its fight against terrorism? | |
| Yes | 42 |
| No | 49 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 9 |
| Was India right in supporting the US on Iran? | |
| Yes | 51 |
| No | 39 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 10 |
| Should India ignore Washington's objection and pursue the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline? | |
| Yes | 64 |
| No | 24 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 12 |
| Whos closer to the USPrime Minister Manmohan Singh or his predecessor, Atal Behari Vajpayee? | |
| Manmohan Singh | 42 |
| A.B.Vajpayee | 38 |
| Both are equally close | 15 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 6 |
| On trade and business issues, should India link itself with the US? | |
| Yes | 74 |
| No | 21 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 5 |
| Whos better for IndiaGeorge Bush or the last president, Bill Clinton? | |
| George Bush | 43 |
| Bill Clinton | 49 |
| Dont know/Cant say | 8 |
| Would you want to settle down in the US? | |||
Yes | No | Dont know/ Cant say | |
46 | 51 | 3 | |
| Delhi | 36 | 59 | 4 |
| Mumbai | 52 | 47 | 1 |
| Chennai | 70 | 29 | 2 |
| Bangalore | 48 | 49 | 3 |
| Calcutta | 47 | 50 | 3 |
| Hyderabad | 41 | 59 | 1 |
| Ahmedabad | 54 | 38 | 9 |
| Lucknow | 34 | 63 | 3 |
| Patna | 29 | 69 | 1 |
| | ||||||
| What attracts you most about the US? | ||||||
| Job opportu- nities | High standard of living | Techn- ology | Holly- wood | Music | Dont know/ Cant say | |
37 | 22 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Delhi | 33 | 26 | 42 | - | - | - |
| Mumbai | 33 | 27 | 37 | 2 | 0 | - |
| Chennai | 45 | 24 | 29 | 3 | 1 | - |
| Bangalore | 27 | 20 | 50 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Calcutta | 35 | 21 | 40 | 3 | 0 | - |
| Hyderabad | 52 | 19 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ahmedabad | 44 | 22 | 31 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Lucknow | 32 | 22 | 41 | 3 | 1 | - |
| Patna | 35 | 13 | 50 | 1 | 1 | - |
| (All figures in % - Percentages were at times rounded off, so may not together equal 100 | ||||||
