On October 30, ORF America hosted a panel discussion on its new report, Americans’ Views of India Rebound – but Are More Polarized, which was co-authored with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The discussion highlighted the report’s key findings on U.S. public opinion of India and compared it to similar surveys by the Pew Research Center and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Panelists explained how American views of India reflect partisan preferences and variation along demographics and issues. While India’s favorability has improved from 47 in 2025 to 51 in 2026, Democrats and Independents rate India more favorably than Republicans. Moreover, young Americans (aged between 18-29) view India less favorably than older ones (aged above 60). On specific issues like reduction of U.S. tariffs on Indian imports, expanding strategic technology cooperation, and increasing high-skill labor immigration, more Democrats are in favor than Republicans. Although, this is inversed when it comes to military cooperation to counter Chinese influence in Asia where more Republicans are in favor than Democrats.
Going forward, policymakers in both countries should ensure that partisan differences do not impede strategic cooperation on issues like defense co-production, military exchanges, technology investments, energy security, higher education, and trade supply chains. Both countries should also engage younger demographics and involve them in the bilateral relationship.
Speakers:
Craig Kafura, Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Dina Smeltz, Managing Director & Chair, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and Director, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Moderator: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America
