The poll was conducted with a representative sample of adult Indians using a face-to-face interviewing methodology, from 5–15 December, 2006.
Respondents were asked a series of questions focusing on social and political issues of relevance in India today. The first question focused on nine statements and required respondents to either agree or disagree. Overall Indians exhibit a positive sense of identity with seven in ten (71%) agreeing to the statement, ‘I am proud to be an Indian.’ This view is commonly held among all age and income groups, however, differs between religions—Christians (73%) and Hindus (71%) are more likely to express pride in being Indian than Muslims (60%).
Positive perceptions are also extended to the Indian marketplace—majorities (55%) believe the justice system ‘treats poor people as fairly as rich people,’ and that (52%) ‘being a woman is no barrier to success,’ while a plurality (48%) mention that they would rather ‘work for a private company than for the government.’ Opinions are slightly more pronounced among urban dwellers and southern Indians—not surprising given the double-digit economic growth in India's technology hub in Bangalore.
In terms of the social aspects of life, Indians do express a level of concern. Six in ten (58%) believe India's security is ‘more in danger from other Indians than from foreigners,’and majorities (55%) believe that the ‘caste system is a barrier to social harmony.’ These views are common among age, income and religious groups.
Issues related to religion, heritage and tradition are very much in the forefront—one in two (50%) adult Indians believes ‘people don't take their religion seriously enough,’ and two in five (40%) believes ‘young Indians have lost touch with their heritage and traditions.’ Surprisingly both views are more common with younger Indians (18–24) than older segments of the population.
Corruption is widely seen as a function of the economy with a strong plurality (47%) agreeing that ‘corruption is just a fact of life which we should accept.’ Urban Indians are more likely (50%) to agree with the statement than rural Indians (43%).
Next, respondents were asked how important it was for India to project an economic, political or military image to the world at large. A strong majority (65%) believes that India should be an economic superpower, a country whose economic success is seen as vital to that of the rest of the world. Younger segments of the population are more likely to share this view of India. An equal number (60%) of Indians believes that the country should be a political or military superpower. Those with little or no formal education are more likely to see India as a military superpower, while those with secondary or post secondary education are likely to see India as a political superpower.
Lastly, respondents were asked to what extent, they and their family have benefited from India's economic growth over the last decade. An equal number (45%) believes that they have benefited, versus have not benefited. The results are fairly distributed among age, income, education and religious groups.
