Indians and Americans see each other in positive light: Survey

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US comes

at a time when people of both countries continue to see each other in a largely positive light, according to a Pew Research Centre survey.

While Madison Square Garden's sold-out shows usually include headliners like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna or Arcade Fire, Sunday's reception for Modi is expected to draw an equally massive crowd of nearly 20,000 Indian-Americans, it said.

Modi's appearance at the midtown Manhattan entertainment venue is part of his first trip to the US as leader of the world's largest democracy and comes at a time when people of both countries continue to see each other in a largely positive light, the survey said.

In India, a majority of the public (55 per cent) has a favourable view of the US, including 30 per cent with a very positive outlook, according to the survey. Only 16 per cent see the US unfavourably, while 29 per cent offer no opinion. These high ratings are essentially unchanged from late last year, when 56 of the Indian public gave the US positive marks.

Americans return the positive feelings, with a majority (55 per cent) expressing a favourable assessment of India. This shows little change compared with the last time Americans were asked to rate India in 2009, when 56 per cent saw the emerging Asian power favourably. As with Indians' views of the US, Americans' regard for India differs by gender, income and education. Men (60 per cent) and those who are better educated (59 per cent) are more likely than women (51 per cent) and those with less education (50 per cent) to have a favourable view of India.

Higher income Americans (63 per cent) also see India more positively, though about half with lower incomes (51 per cent) share this sentiment. The support that Indians and Americans voice for one another may reflect the ever-increasing importance of the Indian diaspora in the US and its involvement in American politics.

The Indian-American population now totals over 3 million people, most of whom are highly educated and earn above the median US household income, according to a 2012 Pew Research Centre report on the growing number of Asian Americans.

Nearly nine-in-ten adult Indian Americans report being foreign-born, and roughly seven-in-ten (69 per cent) have close family still in India. Of those with family remaining in India, about half (49 per cent) still send money back on a regular basis.