More Than Half of Indians Satisfied With Governance, Three Quarters Believe Pak a Threat: Pew Survey

New Delhi: Most Indians are happy with the direction of the country and economic prospects for the next generation, a Pew survey published weeks ahead of general elections showed, although the level of satisfaction has fallen over time.

Lack of employment opportunities is India's biggest problem, said more than three-quarters of those polled, and that had not changed through most of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, the survey found.

The survey published on Monday said concerns about terrorism and Pakistan loomed large even before last month's crisis triggered by an attack on CRPF convoy in Kashmir's Pulwama.

Three-quarters of Indians believe Pakistan to be a threat and 59 percent said terrorism had become worse.

"But despite these worries, most Indian adults are satisfied with the direction of their country and the economic prospects of the next generation," Pew said, summing up the survey result.

Of those polled, 54 percent said they were satisfied with the way democracy is working in India. But satisfaction had declined 25 percentage points from 2017, when 79 percent voiced approval.

Men are more likely than women to give Indian democracy a thumbs-up, though one in five women decline to offer an opinion, it said.

There were 2,521 respondents in the Pew Survey run from May 23 to July 23, 2018, the final year of PM Modi's term before the election, at which about 900 million people are eligible to vote.

Modi is considered the frontrunner to win the election that begins on April 11 though critics have often accused the BJP of creating a climate of fear among minorities.