Indian Hindus and Muslims See Neighbors Negatively

Indians tend to perceive their neighbors much more negatively than they are perceived themselves. This is according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. Interestingly, Muslim Indians followed these same patterns, only perceiving some neighbors slightly more favorably, including Muslim nations.

During the survey carried out in early 2024, fewer than half of Indians had good things to say about neighboring countries Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. While only 11 percent of Hindu Indians viewed Pakistan positively, this was up to 22 percent among Muslim Indians. Muslim-majority nation Bangladesh was a little more popular among the two groups, at 34 percent and 39 percent, respectively, expressing favorability. Sri Lanka scored highest among Hindu Indians - at a still modest 44 percent - while Muslim Indians saw the country less favorably, with just 29 percent expressing this sentiment.

This is in stark contrast to the opinions about India among Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans. Between 54 percent and 82 percent saw India positively as of the latest survey. Here, differences between Muslims and Hindus were more pronounced, with 54-64 percent of Muslims and 80+ percent of Hindus saying they liked India. More than half of Sri Lankan Muslims said they had a favorable view of Pakistan, while this was echoed among fewer Bangaldeshi Muslims at 39 percent - lower than Pakistan's perception scores among Hindus from the two above nations.