Category: World
Service
Date: 19.01.2005
Printable version
A Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service survey of four cities in India suggests that it
is one of the few countries in the world to view positively the re-election
of President Bush.
The survey of 21 countries across the world found that 62% of urban
Indians see the re-election as positive.
India, where the survey was conducted in Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi and
Chennai, emerges as one of only three countries where Bush's re-election
is seen as positive, with 63% in the Philippines and 44% in Poland holding
the same view.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's South Asia Correspondent Nick Bryant commented: "A clue
to understanding the Bush administration's popularity in India comes
from the cities where the poll was conducted - Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi
and Chennai - four powerhouses of the country's fast-expanding economy.
"With a growth rate of well over 6%, many urban Indians simply
believe that the Bush administration is good for business; that its
strong desire to forge closer trade ties with the country is a key component
of India's stunning economic success."
Asked about US influence in the world, the poll suggests Indians are
less positive, although a majority - 54% - still have a favourable opinion.
With only 18% in favour, there's strong opposition to the idea of sending
Indian troops to Iraq, a request made of successive New Delhi governments
but one fiercely opposed by both politicians and the public.
The general poll results suggest that a majority of people in 16 countries
and a sizable number (39%) in two other countries see the re-election
as negative for global security.
The polling was commissioned by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service on the eve of the
inauguration of President Bush and conducted by the international polling
firm, GlobeScan.
Almost 22,000 people were polled on five continents in this survey.
For the full results go to bbbcnews.com.
Notes to Editors
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service broadcasts programmes around the world in 43 languages
and is available on radio and online.
It has a global audience of 146 million listeners.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service is available globally on short wave; on FM in 140
capital cities; and selected programmes are carried on around 2,000
FM and MW radio stations around the world.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service websites receive around 280 million page impressions
every month.
The global poll was conducted in 21 countries: Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the Philippines, Poland, South
Africa, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
In addition to the 21 countries polled, a poll of 1,000 Americans was
conducted.
In eight countries, including India, the sample was limited to major
metropolitan areas.
The sample size in India was 1005 people.
The poll was conducted in India between 4 and 15 December 2004.
GlobeScan is a global public opinion firm with a research network spanning
50 countries.
