Too bad President Obama and his party aren’t running for elections in India next month. According to new data from the Pew Center, the United States enjoys a largely positive image in India. Nearly two-thirds (66%) express a favorable opinion of the U.S. By contrast, only 51% rate Russia favorably, and even fewer feel this way about the EU (36%) or China (34%).
U.S. President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit India and other Asian countries in November, is widely popular: 73% express confidence that Obama will do the right thing in world affairs.
While many publics around the world continue to believe the U.S. acts unilaterally in world affairs, Indians see a more multilateral America. More than eight-in-ten (83%) say the U.S. takes the interests of countries like India into account when it makes foreign policy decisions — the highest percentage among the 21 nations surveyed outside the U.S. This view has become increasingly common among Indians over the last eight years — in 2002, only 51% said the U.S. considered their interests.
