South Asians' Views of Neighbors Split by Nation and Age
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- Sri Lanka is the only South Asian country viewed more positively than negatively by all three neighboring nations surveyed, with around half in each expressing a favorable opinion.
- India receives overwhelmingly positive ratings in Sri Lanka (79%) but far lower in Bangladesh (42%) and Pakistan (7%), where it is widely seen as a major threat.
- Narendra Modi is viewed with high confidence in Sri Lanka (70%), but only 4% of Pakistanis and 42% of Bangladeshis express confidence in him to do the right thing globally.
- Pakistan is seen favorably by 57% of Sri Lankans and 54% of Bangladeshis—up from 44% and 40% in 2024—while just 8% of Indians hold a favorable view.
- Bangladesh’s favorability has declined in India (down 10 points since 2024) but risen in Sri Lanka (up 9 points), where two-thirds of adults now view it positively.
- Indian Muslims express significantly more favorable views of Pakistan (21%) and Bangladesh (41%) than Indian Hindus (6% and 23%, respectively), though most still view Pakistan negatively.
- Younger adults in India and Sri Lanka hold warmer views of regional neighbors than older cohorts, with Indians under 35 nearly twice as likely as those 50+ to view Pakistan favorably (9% vs. 5%).
Why it matters: Regional alliances in South Asia are shaped less by official diplomacy than by public sentiment, where generational and religious divides produce sharply different threat and alliance perceptions. With 63% of Sri Lankans naming India their top ally and Pakistanis overwhelmingly seeing India as a threat, strategic partnerships may face domestic headwinds even as younger, more educated populations show slightly greater openness to neighbors.
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