India ranked 4th globally in optimism, 62% citizens hopeful of great future: Ipsos survey

Defying global trend, the majority of Indian nationals are quite optimistic about the country’s future, with 62 per cent of them saying their nation is headed in the right direction. The April wave of the ‘Ipsos What Worries the World’ survey ranked India in fourth position in optimism. It further revealed that citizens from Peru, South Korea and France were pessimistic about the future.

The three nations ranked above India are also from global south—Singapore (85 per cent), Malaysia (70 per cent), Indonesia (67 per cent).

Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India, said the fact that India was located way far from active warzones in Gaza and Ukraine put the country in an advantageous position.

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“We have the global advantage of being geographically away from both Ukraine and Gaza, the epicentres of wars. India and the other global south markets have largely been driven by domestic consumption and domestic economy. And India also has the demographic dividend, leading to economic growth .This survey was conducted before the Trump tarriffs were announced (with a 90-day pause to reciprocal tariff) and before the Pahalgam terror strike took place. These events have heightened anxiety and fear among citizens which have not been captured in the current wave. India being a strong economy and a resilient market, it will continue to stay on grid. But the unrest at the borders and the looming reciprocal tariffs by the Trump govt could lead to a strong impact on India’s fortunes," Adarkar said.

“Ipsos’ What Worries the World survey tracks public opinion on the most important social and political issues across 29 countries today. And inflation continues to impact both global and local citizens with high cost of living, as a consequence of global economic slowdown, wars in Gaza and Ukraine and now with tough measures by the Trump regime on the anvil, in terms of job cuts and reciprocal tariffs, we are bracing for tougher times ahead. With the terror strike in Pahalgam and India’s tough call, the citizens are likely to bear the brunt of these new developments, with increase in prices of essential commodities and slowdown in inbound travel of foreign tourists, impacting the economy," Adarkar added.

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“Govts should focus on their local worries to provide reprieve to citizens, as these concerns weigh heavily on them," stated Adarkar.

More about the survey

This Global Advisor survey was conducted in 29 countries between March 21 and April 4 through the Ipsos Online Panel system, involving a total of 25,219 adults. Participants were aged 18 to 74 in countries like Canada, Israel, Malaysia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States; 20 to 74 in Indonesia and Thailand; 21 to 74 in Singapore; and 16 to 74 in the remaining nations.

The survey sample included approximately 1,000 or more individuals in countries such as Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In other countries like Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Türkiye, the sample size was around 500 or more.

In India, the sample size was about 2,200 people, of whom around 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and about 400 online. The Indian sample reflects a large part of the country’s urban population, covering socio-economic classes A, B, and C in metropolitan areas and Tier 1 to Tier 3 towns across all four regions. Weighting was applied to ensure the demographics matched the adult population, according to the most recent census data.