AS Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives on a three-day state visit to Canada, people in this country feel positively towards his homeland in general, but their top-of-mind images of the country aren’t always glowing.
They see India’s economic growth as an opportunity for Canada, but still say our diplomatic efforts should be placed on China first. They’re comfortable pursuing a free trade agreement with India, but not a nuclear energy deal.
Those are among the findings of a comprehensive Angus Reid Institute public opinion poll measuring Canadian views and perceptions of India, of Canada’s relationship with the country, and of the Indo-Canadian community.
The three-part study yields some revealing, and at times, remarkable results about what we think about India, and how we view many of the main issues Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be discussing, and perhaps finalizing, during the visit.
Key Findings:
* The majority of Canadians (70%) have a generally favourable view of India
* Most Canadians (58%) say this country should pursue a free trade agreement with India
* They are reticent about a possible India-Canada nuclear energy deal: 60 per cent say no
* While Canadian knowledge about India’s governance and economic situation is generally high, the poll reveals an interesting, albeit incorrect, understanding of India’s religious makeup
Part One – General Perceptions and Knowledge about India
How do we feel about India?
Canada and India share many common bonds: both were former colonies of the British Empire, and therefore both share a system of governance based on the Westminster model. Both are tied economically and diplomatically through the G-20 and the Commonwealth. Both countries officially embrace pluralism. Over the course of Canada’s history, and especially in recent decades, ties have focused, indeed, some may say depended on, the relationships built by immigrants from India who have made their home in this nation.
With that in mind, Canadians are more than twice as likely to have a friendly view of India as an unfriendly one. Overall, seven-in-ten said they have a favourable view of the country, while the rest said they saw India unfavourably (30%). This view was consistent across demographic and regional lines.
However, those generally warm feelings do not necessarily translate into certainty about the strength of Canada’s relationship with India, confidence in that country’s actions on the world stage, or how it manages some aspects of its domestic affairs.
India as Canada’s ally?
Indeed, just half (49%) of Canadians agreed that “India could be counted on as a dependable ally to Canada”. Still, this is twice as many as those who disagree (22%) while the rest (29%) say they don’t know. The highest amount of skepticism on this front was found in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%), while the most confidence was among respondents from Ontario (50%), Quebec (50%) and Atlantic Canada (54%).
India on the world stage
On the question of whether “India does the right thing when it comes to world affairs”, even fewer – one-third (35%) – are in agreement. Notably, British Columbia residents are least likely to endorse this view (28%) and Quebecers most likely (43%). One-quarter (26%) disagreed, while the most respondents (39%) indicated that they weren’t sure about India’s performance on international affairs.
Perceptions of India’s actions at home
Nor do Canadians take a particularly bright view of the country’s respect for the personal freedoms of its own people. Fewer than one-third (28%) agreed this was the case, while, significantly, nearly twice as many (52%) disagreed.
Opinions depend on overall view of India:
Those who view the country favourably to begin with are much more likely to have faith in its actions on all three fronts:
* They are three times as likely to say Canada can count on India’s support (60% versus 23% of those who view the country unfavourably)
* They are more than three times as likely to say that India does the right thing in international affairs (44% versus 14% unfavourable)
* And they are nearly four times as likely to view India’s respect for the freedoms of her own people as those who don’t see the country in a positive light (36% favourable versus 10% unfavourable)
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT INDIA?
Canada doesn’t know Modi:
Presented with a photo of Modi, and asked if they could identify him, just over one-in-five respondents (22%) were successful, while the vast majority (71%) said they didn’t know who he was, and the rest identified him incorrectly (see detailed tables at the end of this release). Those living in Ontario, and those with university educations were slightly more likely to correctly identify him.
Those born outside Canada were significantly more likely to correctly identify Modi, by a ratio of more than two-to-one. Among respondents born in Canada 21 per cent knew the Indian Prime Minister. This increased to nearly half (49%) among those born outside the country.
Those results are consistent with the Angus Reid July 2014 survey canvassing Canadian opinions of G7, Russian and BRIC leaders. At that time three-quarters (74%) indicated they didn’t know Modi well enough to choose attributes they might associate with him.
It should be noted, however, that notwithstanding US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron, most Canadians didn’t have enough familiarity with the other leaders mentioned in last year’s survey to offer opinions, either.
But we do know the country (sort of):
Democracy
Respondents are, however, familiar with India’s system of government. Three-quarters (72%) correctly identified the country as a democracy, while just over one-in-ten said it was a military state (12%) and about as many chose “dictatorship” (16%). People living in British Columbia were most likely to know how India is governed (80%).
Those with favourable views of India were more likely to know it is a democratic country than those with a negative view (79% versus 56% respectively). Conversely, those who have an unfavourable view of India were twice as likely to identify it as a military state than those more warmly predisposed (19% versus 9%) or as a dictatorship (25% versus 12%).
Economy
Canadians also correctly see India’s economy as one that is growing briskly, a subject to be visited in more detail later in this report.
* Three-quarters (75%) saw India’s economy as growing, either rapidly (37%) or moderately (38%)
* Practically no one (3%) thought the country’s economy is shrinking
* The rest (22%) thought the Indian economy is stagnant
Religion
The Angus Reid Institute poll did find some interesting Canadian perceptions of religion in one of the world’s most populous and arguably spiritually diverse nations. Asked to identify which two religions they thought had the most followers in India:
* Respondents accurately chose Hinduism (88% thought this was one of the biggest two faith groups). Indeed, Hindus comprise the largest religious group in India, with more than 800 million followers.
* But two-in-five (38%) incorrectly view Sikhism as one of India’s largest faith groups (rising to a whopping 67% in BC). While Sikhs do comprise a significant swath of the Indian community in Canada, they are in fact, not more than two per cent of the actual Indian population, with roughly 19 million adherents there.
* Buddhism was similarly overestimated as a major faith group with one-third (33%) choosing this as one of India’s two largest faith groups (with this perception highest in Quebec at 54%). This perception may perhaps be understandable considering that internationally known Buddhist Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since 1959. However, actual adherents to Buddhism in India total less than one per cent of the population.
* It is Muslims who make up the second largest faith group in India, at 13 per cent of population (nearly 140 million adherents). One-quarter (25%) of survey respondents chose Islam as one of the two biggest religions in that country.
Images of India:
Canadians may generally view India positively, but that does not necessarily extend to top-of-mind impressions of the country. Respondents were asked “when you think about India, which of the following images are strongest in your mind”, and invited to choose three, or write in their own. Here’s what they told us:
* Massive population (68%)
* A dangerous place for women (46%)
* A very poor country (38%)
* Cuisine / food (30%)
* Ancient culture (23%)
* Mahatma Gandhi (20%)
* Bollywood movies (19%)
* Corruption (19%)
Although respondents were aware of how India is governed, and of its economic growth, neither of these options were at the top of their lists:
* World’s largest democracy (12%)
* Economic powerhouse (7%)
Once again, as with general knowledge of India, top-of-mind perceptions are affected by general views of the country, headlines, and whether respondents personally know anyone of Indian heritage. Demographics are also drivers of opinion. A few highlights:
* Women and those aged 55+ were more likely to say India is a “dangerous place for women”, (52% and 51% respectively). While the Angus Reid Institute has no tracking data on this issue, it is conceivable that this particular perception has risen significantly in the consciousness of respondents due to the brutal December 2012 rape and murder of a Delhi woman, followed by the worldwide attention, study and discussion of rape and violence against women in India that has dominated headlines about that country since.
* Younger Canadians – aged 18-34 – are nearly three times more likely to have picked “Bollywood movies” than older respondents. Indeed, several Hindi films have been shot on location in Canada.
* Older Canadians, and those living in Quebec, were more likely to think of Mahatma Gandhi when they think of India (26% each)
FULL REPORT AT:
http://angusreid.org/perceptions-of-india/
