Survey of Urban Indian Youth by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) finds overwhelming support for the government’s decision on the Quad, China and Pakistan, but a big thumbs-up for the decision to move away from rc e p.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is expected to release the report on Independence Day. India may be primarily a young country and an emerging international power, but it has rarely caught on to the views of its youth on foreign policy issues. Overall, the respondents agreed with the foreign policy actions of the Modi government. But 80% of the people believe that the top foreign policy priority for India should be to strengthen its economy.
Other priorities are fighting terrorism, building ties with the US, resolving disputes with India’s neighbors (not China or Pakistan).
Interestingly, almost half of the youth surveyed are concerned about tackling climate change, something that almost a decade ago would have been nothing more than a dull interest. The border conflict with China occupies more mind space (52%) than the border conflict with Pakistan (49%), an indicator of changing security perceptions.
Curiously, respondents perceived Sri Lanka as India’s most “trusted” neighbor (68%) – counter-intuitive, as the Chinese challenge to the neighborhood came in addition to Sri Lanka in the Tamil question, which has marked Indo-Lanka relations. Bhutan, India’s surest ally, came in at number three even lower than Nepal, which is surprising. Pakistan comes at the bottom with a 10 per cent trust rating.
The government’s decision to ban Chinese mobile apps received 86 percent support, nearly 68 percent similar to the one in the Balakot airstrikes, roughly the same as Quad (64%).
Next to Chinese apps is “Control Illegal Immigration” at the top. This is clearly an issue close to the hearts of young Indians, and could influence political choices.
More than 77 percent of respondents rated the US as the most trusted leading global power. The US is followed by Australia, Russia, Japan, France, the UK and the European Union (EU). The country that the respondents trusted the most (77 percent) is China. Who will be India’s partner in the coming years? They called the Quad, Russia and Europe, in that order.
China is causing as much concern among young Indians as it is among governments. The survey said it was found that 62 per cent of the respondents were of the view that India should abandon non-alignment in the face of rising US-China tensions and ally with the US. Respondents expressed concern not only about China’s interference in India’s neighbourhood, but also about its military and economic superiority. He also expressed the possibility of a war breaking out.
While the people surveyed had definite ideas about India’s permanent membership of the UNSC, and were familiar with world trade organizationSurprisingly two-thirds hadn’t heard of it uncoordinated movement. India was one of the founders of this movement in the 20th century.
“There is less awareness of more recent platforms and fora, such as the Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Initiative (BIMSTEC),” the study said. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Group of 20 (G20) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Shanghai Cooperation Organization).”
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