More than 70 years after India became free from colonial rule, Indians generally feel their country has lived up to one of its post-independence ideals: a society where followers of many religions can live and practice freely.

India’s massive population is diverse as well as devout. Not only do most of the world’s Hindus, Jains and Sikhs live in India, but it also is home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations and to millions of Christians and Buddhists.

A major new Pew Research Center survey of religion across India, based on nearly 30,000 face-to-face interviews of adults conducted in 17 languages between late 2019 and early 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic), finds that Indians of all these religious backgrounds overwhelmingly say they are very free to practice their faiths.

Indians see religious tolerance as a central part of who they are as a nation. Across the major religious groups, most people say it is very important to respect all religions to be “truly Indian.” And tolerance is a religious as well as civic value: Indians are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community.

These shared values are accompanied by a number of beliefs that cross religious lines. Not only do a majority of Hindus in India (77%) believe in karma, but an identical percentage of Muslims do, too. A third of Christians in India (32%) – together with 81% of Hindus – say they believe in the purifying power of the Ganges River, a central belief in Hinduism. In Northern India, 12% of Hindus and 10% of Sikhs, along with 37% of Muslims, identity with Sufism, a mystical tradition most closely associated with Islam. And the vast majority of Indians of all major religious backgrounds say that respecting elders is very important to their faith.

Yet, despite sharing certain values and religious beliefs – as well as living in the same country, under the same constitution – members of India’s major religious communities often don’t feel they have much in common with one another. The majority of Hindus see themselves as very different from Muslims (66%), and most Muslims return the sentiment, saying they are very different from Hindus (64%). There are a few exceptions: Two-thirds of Jains and about half of Sikhs say they have a lot in common with Hindus. But generally, people in India’s major religious communities tend to see themselves as very different from others.

This perception of difference is reflected in traditions and habits that maintain the separation of India’s religious groups. For example, marriages across religious lines – and, relatedly, religious conversions – are exceedingly rare (see Chapter 3). Many Indians, across a range of religious groups, say it is very important to stop people in their community from marrying into other religious groups. Roughly two-thirds of Hindus in India want to prevent interreligious marriages of Hindu women (67%) or Hindu men (65%). Even larger shares of Muslims feel similarly: 80% say it is very important to stop Muslim women from marrying outside their religion, and 76% say it is very important to stop Muslim men from doing so.

Moreover, Indians generally stick to their own religious group when it comes to their friends. Hindus overwhelmingly say that most or all of their close friends are also Hindu. Of course, Hindus make up the majority of the population, and as a result of sheer numbers, may be more likely to interact with fellow Hindus than with people of other religions. But even among Sikhs and Jains, who each form a sliver of the national population, a large majority say their friends come mainly or entirely from their small religious community.

Fewer Indians go so far as to say that their neighborhoods should consist only of people from their own religious group. Still, many would prefer to keep people of certain religions out of their residential areas or villages. For example, many Hindus (45%) say they are fine with having neighbors of all other religions – be they Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist or Jain – but an identical share (45%) say they would not be willing to accept followers of at least one of these groups, including more than one-in-three Hindus (36%) who do not want a Muslim as a neighbor. Among Jains, a majority (61%) say they are unwilling to have neighbors from at least one of these groups, including 54% who would not accept a Muslim neighbor, although nearly all Jains (92%) say they would be willing to accept a Hindu neighbor.

Indians, then, simultaneously express enthusiasm for religious tolerance and a consistent preference for keeping their religious communities in segregated spheres – they live together separately. These two sentiments may seem paradoxical, but for many Indians they are not.

Indeed, many take both positions, saying it is important to be tolerant of others and expressing a desire to limit personal connections across religious lines. Indians who favor a religiously segregated society also overwhelmingly emphasize religious tolerance as a core value. For example, among Hindus who say it is very important to stop the interreligious marriage of Hindu women, 82% also say that respecting other religions is very important to what it means to be Hindu. This figure is nearly identical to the 85% who strongly value religious tolerance among those who are not at all concerned with stopping interreligious marriage.

In other words, Indians’ concept of religious tolerance does not necessarily involve the mixing of religious communities. While people in some countries may aspire to create a “melting pot” of different religious identities, many Indians seem to prefer a country more like a patchwork fabric, with clear lines between groups.

The dimensions of Hindu nationalism in India

One of these religious fault lines – the relationship between India’s Hindu majority and the country’s smaller religious communities – has particular relevance in public life, especially in recent years under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is often described as promoting a Hindu nationalist ideology.

The survey finds that Hindus tend to see their religious identity and Indian national identity as closely intertwined: Nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64%) say it is very important to be Hindu to be “truly” Indian.

Most Hindus (59%) also link Indian identity with being able to speak Hindi – one of dozens of languages that are widely spoken in India. And these two dimensions of national identity – being able to speak Hindi and being a Hindu – are closely connected. Among Hindus who say it is very important to be Hindu to be truly Indian, fully 80% also say it is very important to speak Hindi to be truly Indian.

The BJP’s appeal is greater among Hindus who closely associate their religious identity and the Hindi language with being “truly Indian.” In the 2019 national elections, 60% of Hindu voters who think it is very important to be Hindu and to speak Hindi to be truly Indian cast their vote for the BJP, compared with only a third among Hindu voters who feel less strongly about both these aspects of national identity.

Overall, among those who voted in the 2019 elections, three-in-ten Hindus take all three positions: saying it is very important to be Hindu to be truly Indian; saying the same about speaking Hindi; and casting their ballot for the BJP.

These views are considerably more common among Hindus in the largely Hindi-speaking Northern and Central regions of the country, where roughly half of all Hindu voters fall into this category, compared with just 5% in the South.

Whether Hindus who meet all three of these criteria qualify as “Hindu nationalists” may be debated, but they do express a heightened desire for maintaining clear lines between Hindus and other religious groups when it comes to whom they marry, who their friends are and whom they live among. For example, among Hindu BJP voters who link national identity with both religion and language, 83% say it is very important to stop Hindu women from marrying into another religion, compared with 61% among other Hindu voters.

This group also tends to be more religiously observant: 95% say religion is very important in their lives, and roughly three-quarters say they pray daily (73%). By comparison, among other Hindu voters, a smaller majority (80%) say religion is very important in their lives, and about half (53%) pray daily.

Even though Hindu BJP voters who link national identity with religion and language are more inclined to support a religiously segregated India, they also are more likely than other Hindu voters to express positive opinions about India’s religious diversity. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of this group – Hindus who say that being a Hindu and being able to speak Hindi are very important to be truly Indian and who voted for the BJP in 2019 – say religious diversity benefits India, compared with about half (47%) of other Hindu voters.

This finding suggests that for many Hindus, there is no contradiction between valuing religious diversity (at least in principle) and feeling that Hindus are somehow more authentically Indian than fellow citizens who follow other religions.

Among Indians overall, there is no overwhelming consensus on the benefits of religious diversity. On balance, more Indians see diversity as a benefit than view it as a liability for their country: Roughly half (53%) of Indian adults say India’s religious diversity benefits the country, while about a quarter (24%) see diversity as harmful, with similar figures among both Hindus and Muslims. But 24% of Indians do not take a clear position either way – they say diversity neither benefits nor harms the country, or they decline to answer the question. (See Chapter 2 for a discussion of attitudes toward diversity.)

India’s Muslims express pride in being Indian while identifying communal tensions, desiring segregation

India’s Muslim community, the second-largest religious group in the country, historically has had a complicated relationship with the Hindu majority. The two communities generally have lived peacefully side by side for centuries, but their shared history also is checkered by civil unrest and violence. Most recently, while the survey was being conducted, demonstrations broke out in parts of New Delhi and elsewhere over the government’s new citizenship law, which creates an expedited path to citizenship for immigrants from some neighboring countries – but not Muslims.

Today, India’s Muslims almost unanimously say they are very proud to be Indian (95%), and they express great enthusiasm for Indian culture: 85% agree with the statement that “Indian people are not perfect, but Indian culture is superior to others.”

Relatively few Muslims say their community faces “a lot” of discrimination in India (24%). In fact, the share of Muslims who see widespread discrimination against their community is similar to the share of Hindus who say Hindus face widespread religious discrimination in India (21%). (See Chapter 1 for a discussion of attitudes on religious discrimination.)

But personal experiences with discrimination among Muslims vary quite a bit regionally. Among Muslims in the North, 40% say they personally have faced religious discrimination in the last 12 months – much higher levels than reported in most other regions.

In addition, most Muslims across the country (65%), along with an identical share of Hindus (65%), see communal violence as a very big national problem. (See Chapter 1 for a discussion of Indians’ attitudes toward national problems.)

Like Hindus, Muslims prefer to live religiously segregated lives – not just when it comes to marriage and friendships, but also in some elements of public life. In particular, three-quarters of Muslims in India (74%) support having access to the existing system of Islamic courts, which handle family disputes (such as inheritance or divorce cases), in addition to the secular court system.

Muslims’ desire for religious segregation does not preclude tolerance of other groups – again similar to the pattern seen among Hindus. Indeed, a majority of Muslims who favor separate religious courts for their community say religious diversity benefits India (59%), compared with somewhat fewer of those who oppose religious courts for Muslims (50%).

Sidebar: Islamic courts in India

Since 1937, India’s Muslims have had the option of resolving family and inheritance-related cases in officially recognized Islamic courts, known as dar-ul-qaza. These courts are overseen by religious magistrates known as qazi and operate under Shariah principles. For example, while the rules of inheritance for most Indians are governed by the Indian Succession Act of 1925 and the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 (amended in 2005), Islamic inheritance practices differ in some ways, including who can be considered an heir and how much of the deceased person’s property they can inherit. India’s inheritance laws also take into account the differing traditions of other religious communities, such as Hindus and Christians, but their cases are handled in secular courts. Only the Muslim community has the option of having cases tried by a separate system of family courts. The decisions of the religious courts, however, are not legally binding, and the parties involved have the option of taking their case to secular courts if they are not satisfied with the decision of the religious court.

As of 2021, there are roughly 70 dar-ul-qaza in India. Most are in the states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Goa is the only state that does not recognize rulings by these courts, enforcing its own uniform civil code instead. Dar-ul-qaza are overseen by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

While these courts can grant divorces among Muslims, they are prohibited from approving divorces initiated through the practice known as triple talaq, in which a Muslim man instantly divorces his wife by saying the Arabic/Urdu word “talaq” (meaning “divorce”) three times. This practice was deemed unconstitutional by the Indian Supreme Court in 2017 and formally outlawed by the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, in 2019.1

Recent debates have emerged around Islamic courts. Some Indians have expressed concern that the rise of dar-ul-qaza could undermine the Indian judiciary, because a subset of the population is not bound to the same laws as everyone else. Others have argued that the rulings of Islamic courts are particularly unfair to women, although the prohibition of triple talaq may temper some of these criticisms. In its 2019 political manifesto, the BJP proclaimed a desire to create a national Uniform Civil Code, saying it would increase gender equality.

Some Indian commentators have voiced opposition to Islamic courts along with more broadly negative sentiments against Muslims, describing the rising numbers of dar-ul-qaza as the “Talibanization” of India, for example.

On the other hand, Muslim scholars have defended the dar-ul-qaza, saying they expedite justice because family disputes that would otherwise clog India’s courts can be handled separately, allowing the secular courts to focus their attention on other concerns.

Since 2018, the Hindu nationalist party Hindu Mahasabha (which does not hold any seats in Parliament) has tried to set up Hindu religious courts, known as Hindutva courts, aiming to play a role similar to dar-ul-qaza, only for the majority Hindu community. None of these courts have been recognized by the Indian government, and their rulings are not considered legally binding.

Muslims, Hindus diverge over legacy of Partition

The seminal event in the modern history of Hindu-Muslim relations in the region was the partition of the subcontinent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan at the end of the British colonial period in 1947. Partition remains one of the largest movements of people across borders in recorded history, and in both countries the carving of new borders was accompanied by violence, rioting and looting.

More than seven decades later, the predominant view among Indian Muslims is that the partition of the subcontinent was “a bad thing” for Hindu-Muslim relations. Nearly half of Muslims say Partition hurt communal relations with Hindus (48%), while fewer say it was a good thing for Hindu-Muslim relations (30%). Among Muslims who prefer more religious segregation – that is, who say they would not accept a person of a different faith as a neighbor – an even higher share (60%) say Partition was a bad thing for Hindu-Muslim relations.

Sikhs, whose homeland of Punjab was split by Partition, are even more likely than Muslims to say Partition was a bad thing for Hindu-Muslim relations: Two-thirds of Sikhs (66%) take this position. And Sikhs ages 60 and older, whose parents most likely lived through Partition, are more inclined than younger Sikhs to say the partition of the country was bad for communal relations (74% vs. 64%).

While Sikhs and Muslims are more likely to say Partition was a bad thing than a good thing, Hindus lean in the opposite direction: 43% of Hindus say Partition was beneficial for Hindu-Muslim relations, while 37% see it as a bad thing.

Caste is another dividing line in Indian society, and not just among Hindus

Religion is not the only fault line in Indian society. In some regions of the country, significant shares of people perceive widespread, caste-based discrimination.

The caste system is an ancient social hierarchy based on occupation and economic status. People are born into a particular caste and tend to keep many aspects of their social life within its boundaries, including whom they marry. Even though the system’s origins are in historical Hindu writings, today Indians nearly universally identify with a caste, regardless of whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist or Jain.

Overall, the majority of Indian adults say they are a member of a Scheduled Caste (SC) – often referred to as Dalits (25%) – Scheduled Tribe (ST) (9%) or Other Backward Class (OBC) (35%).2

Buddhists in India nearly universally identify themselves in these categories, including 89% who are Dalits (sometimes referred to by the pejorative term “untouchables”).

Members of SC/ST/OBC groups traditionally formed the lower social and economic rungs of Indian society, and historically they have faced discrimination and unequal economic opportunities. The practice of untouchability in India ostracizes members of many of these communities, especially Dalits, although the Indian Constitution prohibits caste-based discrimination, including untouchability, and in recent decades the government has enacted economic advancement policies like reserved seats in universities and government jobs for Dalits, Scheduled Tribes and OBC communities.

Roughly 30% of Indians do not belong to these protected groups and are classified as “General Category.” This includes higher castes such as Brahmins (4%), traditionally the priestly caste. Indeed, each broad category includes several sub-castes – sometimes hundreds – with their own social and economic hierarchies.

Three-quarters of Jains (76%) identify with General Category castes, as do 46% of both Muslims and Sikhs.

Caste-based discrimination, as well as the government’s efforts to compensate for past discrimination, are politically charged topics in India. But the survey finds that most Indians do not perceive widespread caste-based discrimination. Just one-in-five Indians say there is a lot of discrimination against members of SCs, while 19% say there is a lot of discrimination against STs and somewhat fewer (16%) see high levels of discrimination against OBCs. Members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are slightly more likely than others to perceive widespread discrimination against their two groups. Still, large majorities of people in these categories do not think they face a lot of discrimination.

These attitudes vary by region, however. Among Southern Indians, for example, 30% see widespread discrimination against Dalits, compared with 13% in the Central part of the country. And among the Dalit community in the South, even more (43%) say their community faces a lot of discrimination, compared with 27% among Southern Indians in the General Category who say the Dalit community faces widespread discrimination in India.

A higher share of Dalits in the South and Northeast than elsewhere in the country say they, personally, have faced discrimination in the last 12 months because of their caste: 30% of Dalits in the South say this, as do 38% in the Northeast.

Although caste discrimination may not be perceived as widespread nationally, caste remains a potent factor in Indian society. Most Indians from other castes say they would be willing to have someone belonging to a Scheduled Caste as a neighbor (72%). But a similarly large majority of Indians overall (70%) say that most or all of their close friends share their caste. And Indians tend to object to marriages across caste lines, much as they object to interreligious marriages.3

Overall, 64% of Indians say it is very important to stop women in their community from marrying into other castes, and about the same share (62%) say it is very important to stop men in their community from marrying into other castes. These figures vary only modestly across members of different castes. For example, nearly identical shares of Dalits and members of General Category castes say stopping inter-caste marriages is very important.

Majorities of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Jains consider stopping inter-caste marriage of both men and women a high priority. By comparison, fewer Buddhists and Christians say it is very important to stop such marriages – although for majorities of both groups, stopping people from marrying outside their caste is at least “somewhat” important.

People surveyed in India’s South and Northeast see greater caste discrimination in their communities, and they also raise fewer objections to inter-caste marriages than do Indians overall. Meanwhile, college-educated Indians are less likely than those with less education to say stopping inter-caste marriages is a high priority. But, even within the most highly educated group, roughly half say preventing such marriages is very important. (See Chapter 4 for more analysis of Indians’ views on caste.)

Religious conversion in India

In recent years, conversion of people belonging to lower castes (including Dalits) away from Hinduism – a traditionally non-proselytizing religion – to proselytizing religions, especially Christianity, has been a contentious political issue in India. As of early 2021, nine states have enacted laws against proselytism, and some previous surveys have shown that half of Indians support legal bans on religious conversions.4

This survey, though, finds that religious switching, or conversion, has a minimal impact on the overall size of India’s religious groups. For example, according to the survey, 82% of Indians say they were raised Hindu, and a nearly identical share say they are currently Hindu, showing no net losses for the group through conversion to other religions. Other groups display similar levels of stability.

Changes in India’s religious landscape over time are largely a result of differences in fertility rates among religious groups, not conversion.

Respondents were asked two separate questions to measure religious switching: “What is your present religion, if any?” and, later in the survey, “In what religion were you raised, if any?” Overall, 98% of respondents give the same answer to both these questions.

An overall pattern of stability in the share of religious groups is accompanied by little net gain from movement into, or out of, most religious groups. Among Hindus, for instance, any conversion out of the group is matched by conversion into the group: 0.7% of respondents say they were raised Hindu but now identify as something else, and although Hindu texts and traditions do not agree on any formal process for conversion into the religion, roughly the same share (0.8%) say they were not raised Hindu but now identify as Hindu.5 Most of these new followers of Hinduism are married to Hindus.

Similarly, 0.3% of respondents have left Islam since childhood, matched by an identical share who say they were raised in other religions (or had no childhood religion) and have since become Muslim.

For Christians, however, there are some net gains from conversion: 0.4% of survey respondents are former Hindus who now identify as Christian, while 0.1% are former Christians.

Three-quarters of India’s Hindu converts to Christianity (74%) are concentrated in the Southern part of the country – the region with the largest Christian population. As a result, the Christian population of the South shows a slight increase within the lifetime of survey respondents: 6% of Southern Indians say they were raised Christian, while 7% say they are currently Christian.

Some Christian converts (16%) reside in the East as well (the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal); about two-thirds of all Christians in the East (64%) belong to Scheduled Tribes.

Nationally, the vast majority of former Hindus who are now Christian belong to Scheduled Castes (48%), Scheduled Tribes (14%) or Other Backward Classes (26%). And former Hindus are much more likely than the Indian population overall to say there is a lot of discrimination against lower castes in India. For example, nearly half of converts to Christianity (47%) say there is a lot of discrimination against Scheduled Castes in India, compared with 20% of the overall population who perceive this level of discrimination against Scheduled Castes. Still, relatively few converts say they, personally, have faced discrimination due to their caste in the last 12 months (12%).

Religion very important across India’s religious groups

Though their specific practices and beliefs may vary, all of India’s major religious communities are highly observant by standard measures. For instance, the vast majority of Indians, across all major faiths, say that religion is very important in their lives. And at least three-quarters of each major religion’s followers say they know a great deal about their own religion and its practices. For example, 81% of Indian Buddhists claim a great deal of knowledge about the Buddhist religion and its practices.

Indian Muslims are slightly more likely than Hindus to consider religion very important in their lives (91% vs. 84%). Muslims also are modestly more likely than Hindus to say they know a great deal about their own religion (84% vs. 75%).

Significant portions of each religious group also pray daily, with Christians among the most likely to do so (77%) – even though Christians are the least likely of the six groups to say religion is very important in their lives (76%). Most Hindus and Jains also pray daily (59% and 73%, respectively) and say they perform puja daily (57% and 81%), either at home or at a temple.6

Generally, younger and older Indians, those with different educational backgrounds, and men and women are similar in their levels of religious observance. South Indians are the least likely to say religion is very important in their lives (69%), and the South is the only region where fewer than half of people report praying daily (37%). While Hindus, Muslims and Christians in the South are all less likely than their counterparts elsewhere in India to say religion is very important to them, the lower rate of prayer in the South is driven mainly by Hindus: Three-in-ten Southern Hindus report that they pray daily (30%), compared with roughly two-thirds (68%) of Hindus in the rest of the country (see “People in the South differ from rest of the country in their views of religion, national identity” below for further discussion of religious differences in Southern India).

The survey also asked about three rites of passage: religious ceremonies for birth (or infancy), marriage and death. Members of all of India’s major religious communities tend to see these rites as highly important. For example, the vast majority of Muslims (92%), Christians (86%) and Hindus (85%) say it is very important to have a religious burial or cremation for their loved ones.

The survey also asked about practices specific to particular religions, such as whether people have received purification by bathing in holy bodies of water, like the Ganges River, a rite closely associated with Hinduism. About two-thirds of Hindus have done this (65%). Most Hindus also have holy basil (the tulsi plant) in their homes, as do most Jains (72% and 62%, respectively). And about three-quarters of Sikhs follow the Sikh practice of keeping their hair long (76%).

For more on religious practices across India’s religious groups, see Chapter 7.

Near-universal belief in God, but wide variation in how God is perceived

Nearly all Indians say they believe in God (97%), and roughly 80% of people in most religious groups say they are absolutely certain that God exists. The main exception is Buddhists, one-third of whom say they do not believe in God. Still, among Buddhists who do think there is a God, most say they are absolutely certain in this belief.

While belief in God is close to universal in India, the survey finds a wide range of views about the type of deity or deities that Indians believe in. The prevailing view is that there is one God “with many manifestations” (54%). But about one-third of the public says simply: “There is only one God” (35%). Far fewer say there are many gods (6%).

Even though Hinduism is sometimes referred to as a polytheistic religion, very few Hindus (7%) take the position that there are multiple gods. Instead, the most common position among Hindus (as well as among Jains) is that there is “only one God with many manifestations” (61% among Hindus and 54% among Jains).

Among Hindus, those who say religion is very important in their lives are more likely than other Hindus to believe in one God with many manifestations (63% vs. 50%) and less likely to say there are many gods (6% vs. 12%).

By contrast, majorities of Muslims, Christians and Sikhs say there is only one God. And among Buddhists, the most common response is also a belief in one God. Among all these groups, however, about one-in-five or more say God has many manifestations, a position closer to their Hindu compatriots’ concept of God.

Most Hindus feel close to multiple gods, but Shiva, Hanuman and Ganesha are most popular

Traditionally, many Hindus have a “personal god,” or ishta devata: A particular god or goddess with whom they feel a personal connection. The survey asked all Indian Hindus who say they believe in God which god they feel closest to – showing them 15 images of gods on a card as possible options – and the vast majority of Hindus selected more than one god or indicated that they have many personal gods (84%).7 This is true not only among Hindus who say they believe in many gods (90%) or in one God with many manifestations (87%), but also among those who say there is only one God (82%).

The god that Hindus most commonly feel close to is Shiva (44%). In addition, about one-third of Hindus feel close to Hanuman or Ganesha (35% and 32%, respectively).

There is great regional variation in how close India’s Hindus feel to some gods. For example, 46% of Hindus in India’s West feel close to Ganesha, but only 15% feel this way in the Northeast. And 46% of Hindus in the Northeast feel close to Krishna, while just 14% in the South say the same.

Feelings of closeness for Lord Ram are especially strong in the Central region (27%), which includes what Hindus claim is his ancient birthplace, Ayodhya. The location in Ayodhya where many Hindus believe Ram was born has been a source of controversy: Hindu mobs demolished a mosque on the site in 1992, claiming that a Hindu temple originally existed there. In 2019, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the demolished mosque had been built on top of a preexisting non-Islamic structure and that the land should be given to Hindus to build a temple, with another location in the area given to the Muslim community to build a new mosque. (For additional findings on belief in God, see Chapter 12.)

Sidebar: Despite economic advancement, few signs that importance of religion is declining

A prominent theory in the social sciences hypothesizes that as countries advance economically, their populations tend to become less religious, often leading to wider social change. Known as “secularization theory,” it particularly reflects the experience of Western European countries from the end of World War II to the present.

Despite rapid economic growth, India’s population so far shows few, if any, signs of losing its religion. For instance, both the Indian census and the new survey find virtually no growth in the minuscule share of people who claim no religious identity. And religion is prominent in the lives of Indians regardless of their socioeconomic status. Generally, across the country, there is little difference in personal religious observance between urban and rural residents or between those who are college educated versus those who are not. Overwhelming shares among all these groups say that religion is very important in their lives, that they pray regularly and that they believe in God.

Nearly all religious groups show the same patterns. The biggest exception is Christians, among whom those with higher education and those who reside in urban areas show somewhat lower levels of observance. For example, among Christians who have a college degree, 59% say religion is very important in their life, compared with 78% among those who have less education.

The survey does show a slight decline in the perceived importance of religion during the lifetime of respondents, though the vast majority of Indians indicate that religion remains central to their lives, and this is true among both younger and older adults.

Nearly nine-in-ten Indian adults say religion was very important to their family when they were growing up (88%), while a slightly lower share say religion is very important to them now (84%). The pattern is identical when looking only at India’s majority Hindu population. Among Muslims in India, the same shares say religion was very important to their family growing up and is very important to them now (91% each).

The states of Southern India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) show the biggest downward trend in the perceived importance of religion over respondents’ lifetimes: 76% of Indians who live in the South say religion was very important to their family growing up, compared with 69% who say religion is personally very important to them now. Slight declines in the importance of religion, by this measure, also are seen in the Western part of the country (Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra) and in the North, although large majorities in all regions of the country say religion is very important in their lives today.

Across India’s religious groups, widespread sharing of beliefs, practices, values

Despite a strong desire for religious segregation, India’s religious groups share patriotic feelings, cultural values and some religious beliefs. For instance, overwhelming shares across India’s religious communities say they are very proud to be Indian, and most agree that Indian culture is superior to others.

Similarly, Indians of different religious backgrounds hold elders in high respect. For instance, nine-in-ten or more Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Jains say that respecting elders is very important to what being a member of their religious group means to them (e.g., for Hindus, it’s a very important part of their Hindu identity). Christians and Sikhs also overwhelmingly share this sentiment. And among all people surveyed in all six groups, three-quarters or more say that respecting elders is very important to being truly Indian.

Within all six religious groups, eight-in-ten or more also say that helping the poor and needy is a crucial part of their religious identity.

Beyond cultural parallels, many people mix traditions from multiple religions into their practices: As a result of living side by side for generations, India’s minority groups often engage in practices that are more closely associated with Hindu traditions than their own. For instance, many Muslim, Sikh and Christian women in India say they wear a bindi (a forehead marking, often worn by married women), even though putting on a bindi has Hindu origins.

Similarly, many people embrace beliefs not traditionally associated with their faith: Muslims in India are just as likely as Hindus to say they believe in karma (77% each), and 54% of Indian Christians share this view.8 Nearly three-in-ten Muslims and Christians say they believe in reincarnation (27% and 29%, respectively). While these may seem like theological contradictions, for many Indians, calling oneself a Muslim or a Christian does not preclude believing in karma or reincarnation – beliefs that do not have a traditional, doctrinal basis in Islam or Christianity.

Most Muslims and Christians say they don’t participate in celebrations of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights that is traditionally celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. But substantial minorities of Christians (31%) and Muslims (20%) report that they do celebrate Diwali. Celebrating Diwali is especially common among Muslims in the West, where 39% say they participate in the festival, and in the South (33%).

Not only do some followers of all these religions participate in a celebration (Diwali) that consumes most of the country once a year, but some members of the majority Hindu community celebrate Muslim and Christian festivals, too: 7% of Indian Hindus say they celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid, and 17% celebrate Christmas.

Religious identity in India: Hindus divided on whether belief in God is required to be a Hindu, but most say eating beef is disqualifying

While there is some mixing of religious celebrations and traditions within India’s diverse population, many Hindus do not approve of this. In fact, while 17% of the nation’s Hindus say they participate in Christmas celebrations, about half of Hindus (52%) say that doing so disqualifies a person from being Hindu (compared with 35% who say a person canbe Hindu if they celebrate Christmas). An even greater share of Hindus (63%) say a person cannot be Hindu if they celebrate the Islamic festival of Eid – a view that is more widely held in Northern, Central, Eastern and Northeastern India than the South or West.

Hindus are divided on whether beliefs and practices such as believing in God, praying and going to the temple are necessary to be a Hindu. But one behavior that a clear majority of Indian Hindus feel is incompatible with Hinduism is eating beef: 72% of Hindus in India say a person who eats beef cannot be a Hindu. That is even higher than the percentages of Hindus who say a person cannot be Hindu if they reject belief in God (49%), never go to a temple (48%) or never perform prayers (48%).

Attitudes toward beef appear to be part of a regional and cultural divide among Hindus: Southern Indian Hindus are considerably less likely than others to disqualify beef eaters from being Hindu (50% vs. 83% in the Northern and Central parts of the country). And, at least in part, Hindus’ views on beef and Hindu identity are linked with a preference for religious segregation and elements of Hindu nationalism. For example, Hindus who take a strong position against eating beef are more likely than others to say they would not accept followers of other religions as their neighbors (49% vs. 30%) and to say it is very important to be Hindu to be truly Indian (68% vs. 51%).

Relatedly, 44% of Hindus say they are vegetarians, and an additional 33% say they abstain from eating certain meats. Hindus traditionally view cows as sacred, and laws pertaining to cow slaughter have been a recent flashpoint in India. At the same time, Hindus are not alone in linking beef consumption with religious identity: 82% of Sikhs and 85% of Jains surveyed say that a person who eats beef cannot be a member of their religious groups, either. A majority of Sikhs (59%) and fully 92% of Jains say they are vegetarians, including 67% of Jains who do not eat root vegetables.9 (For more data on religion and dietary habits, see Chapter 10.)

Sidebar: People in the South differ from rest of the country in their views of religion, national identity

The survey consistently finds that people in the South (the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the union territory of Puducherry) differ from Indians elsewhere in the country in their views on religion, politics and identity.

For example, by a variety of measures, people in the South are somewhat less religious than those in other regions – 69% say religion is very important in their lives, versus 92% in the Central part of the country. And 37% say they pray every day, compared with more than half of Indians in other regions. People in the South also are less segregated by religion or caste – whether that involves their friendship circles, the kind of neighbors they prefer or how they feel about intermarriage. (See Chapter 3.)

Hindu nationalist sentiments also appear to have less of a foothold in the South. Among Hindus, those in the South (42%) are far less likely than those in Central states (83%) or the North (69%) to say being Hindu is very important to be truly Indian. And in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP’s lowest vote share came in the South. In the survey, just 19% of Hindus in the region say they voted for the BJP, compared with roughly two-thirds in the Northern (68%) and Central (65%) parts of the country who say they voted for the ruling party.

Culturally and politically, people in the South have pushed back against the BJP’s restrictions on cow slaughter and efforts to nationalize the Hindi language. These factors may contribute to the BJP’s lower popularity in the South, where more people prefer regional parties or the Indian National Congress party.

These differences in attitudes and practices exist in a wider context of economic disparities between the South and other regions of the country. Over time, Southern states have seen stronger economic growth than the Northern and Central parts of the country. And women and people belonging to lower castes in the South have fared better economically than their counterparts elsewhere in the country. Even though three-in-ten people in the South say there is widespread caste discrimination in India, the region also has a history of anti-caste movements. Indeed, one author has attributed the economic growth of the South largely to the flattening of caste hierarchies.

Muslim identity in India

Most Muslims in India say a person cannot be Muslim if they never pray or attend a mosque. Similarly, about six-in-ten say that celebrating Diwali or Christmas is incompatible with being a member of the Muslim community. At the same time, a substantial minority express a degree of open-mindedness on who can be a Muslim, with fully one-third (34%) saying a person can be Muslim even if they don’t believe in God. (The survey finds that 6% of self-described Muslims in India say they do not believe in God; see “Near-universal belief in God, but wide variation in how God is perceived” above.)

Like Hindus, Muslims have dietary restrictions that resonate as powerful markers of identity. Three-quarters of Indian Muslims (77%) say that a person cannot be Muslim if they eat pork, which is even higher than the share who say a person cannot be Muslim if they do not believe in God (60%) or never attend mosque (61%).

Indian Muslims also report high levels of religious commitment by a host of conventional measures: 91% say religion is very important in their lives, two-thirds (66%) say they pray at least once a day, and seven-in-ten say they attend mosque at least once a week – with even higher attendance among Muslim men (93%).

By all these measures, Indian Muslims are broadly comparable to Muslims in the neighboring Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in those countries in late 2011 and early 2012. In Pakistan, for example, 94% of Muslims said religion is very important in their lives, while 81% of Bangladeshi Muslims said the same. Muslims in India are somewhat more likely than those elsewhere in South Asia to say they regularly worship at a mosque (70% in India vs. 59% in Pakistan and 53% in Bangladesh), with the difference mainly driven by the share of women who attend.

At the same time, Muslims in India are slightly less likely to say there is “only one true” interpretation of Islam (72% in Pakistan, 69% in Bangladesh, 63% in India), as opposed to multiple interpretations.

When it comes to their religious beliefs, Indian Muslims in some ways resemble Indian Hindus more than they resemble Muslims in neighboring countries. For example, Muslims in Pakistan and Bangladesh almost universally say they believe in heaven and angels, but Indian Muslims seem more skeptical: 58% say they believe in heaven and 53% express belief in angels. Among Indian Hindus, similarly, 56% believe in heaven and 49% believe in angels.

Majority of Muslim women in India oppose ‘triple talaq’ (Islamic divorce)

Many Indian Muslims historically have followed the Hanafi school of thought, which for centuries allowed men to divorce their wives by saying “talaq” (which translates as “divorce” in Arabic and Urdu) three times. Traditionally, there was supposed to be a waiting period and attempts at reconciliation in between each use of the word, and it was deeply frowned upon (though technically permissible) for a man to pronounce “talaq” three times quickly in a row. India’s Supreme Court ruled triple talaq unconstitutional in 2017, and it was banned by legislation in 2019.

Most Indian Muslims (56%) say Muslim men should not be allowed to divorce this way. Still, 37% of Indian Muslims say they support triple talaq, with Muslim men (42%) more likely than Muslim women (32%) to take this position. A majority of Muslim women (61%) oppose triple talaq.

Highly religious Muslims – i.e., those who say religion is very important in their lives – also are more likely than other Muslims to say Muslim men should be able to divorce their wives simply by saying “talaq” three times (39% vs. 26%).

Triple talaq seems to have the most support among Muslims in the Southern and Northeastern regions of India, where half or more of Muslims say it should be legal (58% and 50%, respectively), although 12% of Muslims in the South and 16% in the Northeast do not take a position on the issue either way.

Sikhs are proud to be Punjabi and Indian

Sikhism is one of four major religions – along with Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – that originated on the Indian subcontinent. The Sikh religion emerged in Punjab in the 15th century, when Guru Nanak, who is revered as the founder of Sikhism, became the first in a succession of 10 gurus (teachers) in the religion.

Today, India’s Sikhs remain concentrated in the state of Punjab. One feature of the Sikh religion is a distinctive sense of community, also known as “Khalsa” (which translates as “ones who are pure”). Observant Sikhs differentiate themselves from others in several ways, including keeping their hair uncut. Today, about three-quarters of Sikh men and women in India say they keep their hair long (76%), and two-thirds say it is very important to them that children in their families also keep their hair long (67%). (For more analysis of Sikhs’ views on passing religious traditions on to their children, see Chapter 8.)

Sikhs are more likely than Indian adults overall to say they attend religious services every day – 40% of Sikhs say they go to the gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) daily. By comparison, 14% of Hindus say they go to a Hindu temple every day. Moreover, the vast majority of Sikhs (94%) regard their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, as the word of God, and many (37%) say they read it, or listen to recitations of it, every day.

Sikhs in India also incorporate other religious traditions into their practice. Some Sikhs (9%) say they follow Sufi orders, which are linked with Islam, and about half (52%) say they have a lot in common with Hindus. Roughly one-in-five Indian Sikhs say they have prayed, meditated or performed a ritual at a Hindu temple.

Sikh-Hindu relations were marked by violence in the 1970s and 1980s, when demands for a separate Sikh state covering the Punjab regions in both India and Pakistan (also known as the Khalistan movement) reached their apex. In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for Indian paramilitary forces storming the Sikh Golden Temple in pursuit of Sikh militants. Anti-Sikh riots ensued in Northern India, especially in the state of Punjab.

According to the Indian census, the vast majority of Sikhs in India (77%) still live in Punjab, where Sikhs make up 58% of the adult population. And 93% of Punjabi Sikhs say they are very proud to live in the state.

Sikhs also are overwhelmingly proud of their Indian identity. A near-universal share of Sikhs say they are very proud to be Indian (95%), and the vast majority (70%) say a person who disrespects India cannot be a Sikh. And like India’s other religious groups, most Sikhs do not see evidence of widespread discrimination against their community – just 14% say Sikhs face a lot of discrimination in India, and 18% say they personally have faced religious discrimination in the last year.

At the same time, Sikhs are more likely than other religious communities to see communal violence as a very big problem in the country. Nearly eight-in-ten Sikhs (78%) rate communal violence as a major issue, compared with 65% of Hindus and Muslims.

The BJP has attempted to financially compensate Sikhs for some of the violence that occurred in 1984 after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, but relatively few Sikh voters (19%) report having voted for the BJP in the 2019 parliamentary elections. The survey finds that 33% of Sikhs preferred the Indian National Congress Party – Gandhi’s party.

(PEW)

JUNE 29, 2021

Source: https://www.pewforum.org/2021/06/29/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation/

697-43-24/Country Profile:

SUMMARY OF POLLS

ASIA

(India)

Indians (78%) Think The COVID Situation In Their Country Is Getting Better, But Seven In Ten (71%) Said They Are Also Worried About Their Personal Finances Getting Affected

Latest data from YouGov’s Covid19 Consumer Monitor, from 18^th-23^rd June, shows a majority of urban Indians (78%) think the covid situation in their country is getting better compared to a month ago or feel it is completely over. Confidence in national recovery has improved since April end when it had fallen to 17%, amidst a deadly second wave of Coronavirus. With subsequent lockdown restrictions and vaccination in full swing, this number has improved and now a majority are positive about recovery.

(YouGov India)
June 28, 2021

80% Of The Muslims Felt It Was Important To Stop People From Their Community From Marrying Into Another Religion, 65% Of Hindus Felt The Same

Pew interviewed 30,000 people across India in 17 languages for the study. The interviewees were from 26 states and three federally administered territories. According to the survey, 80% of the Muslims who were interviewed felt it was important to stop people from their community from marrying into another religion. Around 65% of Hindus felt the same. Nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64%) said it was very important to be Hindu in order to be "truly Indian".

(BBC News)

29 June 2021

The Majority Of Hindus See Themselves As Very Different From Muslims (66%), And Most Muslims Return The Sentiment, Saying They Are Very Different From Hindus (64%)

(PEW)

JUNE 29, 2021

(Pakistan)

3 In 10 Pakistanis Think That The Kashmir Issue Should Be Resolved Through Talks With India

A nationally representative sample of adult men and women from across the four provinces was asked the following question, “How do you think the Kashmir Dispute should be resolved?” In response to this question, 30% of Pakistanis said through “talks with India”, 14% said “through the United Nations”, 12% said “through war”, 4% said, “silence is better”, 3% said “Kashmiris should take the first stand” and 28% said they “don’t know.” 8% did not respond.

(Gallup Pakistan)

July 2, 2021

WEST EUROPE

(UK)

3 In 4 Britons Support Offering Children The Vaccine

New polling by Ipsos MORI shows wide support for offering the COVID-19 vaccine to young people under the age of 17. Three-quarters (75%) support offering the jab to all young people aged 17 or under. A similar proportion support offering the vaccine to those aged 12-15 (74%) while over 4 in 5 (82%) are in favour of offering it to those aged 16-17. Support among parents is slightly lower, but still a majority – for example, 62% of parents support offering the vaccine to all young people aged 17 or under, while one in five (22%) are opposed.

(Ipsos MORI)

30 June 2021

Ahead Of Batley And Spen By-Election 6 In 10 Britons Think It Is Unclear What Labour Leader Keir Starmer Stands For

Just 30% of Britons say it is very clear or fairly clear what Keir Starmer stands for. 60% think it is not very clear or not clear at all– including two in five (41%) 2019 Labour voters. 52% think it is clear what Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands for – including 79% of 2019 Conservative voters. 40% of Britons overall think it is unclear. Favourability towards Johnson and the Conservative Party has fallen since May – but just 1 in 4 Britons think Labour under Starmer would do a better job in government.

(Ipsos MORI)

1 July 2021

Right To Repair: Britons Are Most Comfortable Repairing Wooden Furniture (60%)

Of all the items and appliances asked about, Britons are most comfortable repairing wooden furniture (60%), including some 36% who have done so previously and 24% who haven’t but would give it a go. Men (68%) are more likely to report they would attempt fixing furniture than women (53%) – a pattern that is carried across all the items YouGov asked about.

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Labour Members: 69% Think Burnham Would Be A Better Leader Than Starmer

Currently, just over half (54%) of the membership think Keir Starmer should remain as party leader, while one third (34%) believe it is time for him to step down. One in six (17%) who backed him to lead the party in 2020 and 86% of those who voted for Rebecca Long-Bailey – his rival in the contest – think he should stand aside.

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Some Six In Ten Britons (62%) Would Support Returning Historical Artefacts To Their Country Of Origin On A Permanent Basis

Some six in ten Britons (62%) would support returning historical artefacts to their country of origin on a permanent basis, including nearly three in ten (29%) who would “strongly” support museums doing so. Half Conservatives voters (50%) and eight in ten Labour voters (79%) support returning historical artefacts. Most people in all age groups are supportive, but most notably adults aged 18-24 (69%).

(YouGov UK)

July 02, 2021

(France)

62% Of French People Plan To Do The Sales This Summer

After months of restrictions, the French seem ready to return to stores : more than one in two (55%) say they missed stores during periods of containment and curfews. And the sales are an opportune time to let people know: more than 6 out of 10 French people plan to do the sales . Only 10% of French people are also categorical and say they "not at all" plan to do so.

(Ipsos France)

July 2, 2021

NORTH AMERICA

(USA)

In 1971, Sixty Percent Americans Favored Lowering The Voting Age For Local And State Elections, While Just Over A Third Opposed

Trend from 1939 to 1970 in Americans' support for lowering U.S. voting age to 18. Percentage supporting was 17% in 1939, and rose to 39% in 1942 and as high as 63% by 1953. Thereafter, support ranged from 51% to 66%, including 57% in 1970. Gallup's 1939 reading on public support for reducing the voting age found 17% of Americans favoring it and 79% opposed. Gallup's final poll on the matter was taken March 11-14, 1971, asking Americans if they favored or opposed lowering the voting age for local and state elections. Sixty percent favored it, while just over a third were opposed.

(Gallup USA)

JUNE 29, 2021

Most Americans(67%) Have ‘Cold’ Views of China. Here’s What They Think About China, In Their Own Words

Americans rarely brought up the Chinese people or the country’s long history and culture. Instead, they focused primarily on the Chinese government – including its policies or how it behaves internationally – as well as its economy. Human rights, China’s economy and the country’s political system were referenced most by Americans, coming up among 20%, 19% and 17% of respondents, respectively.

(PEW)

JUNE 30, 2021

51% Americans Say That UFOs Reported By People In The Military Are Likely Evidence Of Intelligent Life Outside Earth

A smaller but still sizable share of the public (51%) says that UFOs reported by people in the military are likely evidence of intelligent life outside Earth. Most of this sentiment comes from people who say that military-reported UFOs are “probably” evidence of extraterrestrial life (40%), rather than “definitely” such evidence (11%), according to the survey of 10,417 U.S. adults, conducted June 14 to 24. On the other hand, 47% of Americans say the military reports are probably (36%) or definitely (11%) not evidence of life outside Earth.

(PEW)

JUNE 30, 2021

56% Of Americans Oppose The Right To Sue Social Media Companies For What Users Post

Some 56% of U.S. adults say people should not be able to sue social media companies for content that other users post on these companies’ platforms, according to a new survey conducted April 12-18, 2021. At the same time, 41% say people should be able to do this. Liberal Democrats (64%) are most likely to say harassment would decrease if people could sue social media companies. Similarly, 62% of liberal Democrats say that the amount of misleading or inaccurate content would most likely decrease if people could sue

(PEW)

JULY 1, 2021

(Canada)

Among The 67% Of Canadian Drivers Who Used Alcohol In The Past 30 Days, One In Ten (10%) Have Driven Knowingly Impaired From Alcohol At Least Once In The Last 6 Months

(Ipsos Canada)

29 June 2021

Liberals (38%) Support Plateaus On Back Of Vaccination Programme And Reopening Plans, While Conservatives Slip Behind (26%, -3)

(Ipsos Canada)

30 June 2021

AUSTRALIA

Roy Morgan Business Confidence Down Only Slightly In June To 128.3; But New Covid-19 Restrictions A Clear Threat To The Recovery

Business Confidence in June 2021 was 14.4pts above the long-term average of 113.9 with nearly two-thirds of businesses, 64.8%, expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months and a clear majority of 58.4% saying the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’.

(Roy Morgan)

June 29 2021

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

Two Thirds Of Britons Say Higher Education Is Not Affordable

But new YouGov data shows that two thirds of Britons (65%) already think higher education is not affordable. This is much higher than in four other European countries, with around half of French people (52%) and Swedes (49%) feeling the same. Germans (35%) and Danes (11%) are the least likely to say so. Only one in five people (22%) are in favour of it, compared with half of Danes (52%), two in five Swedes (43%) and 27-29% of people in Germany and France.

(YouGov UK)

June 28, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/education/articles-reports/2021/06/28/eurotrack-two-thirds-britons-say-higher-education-

Three-Quarters Of Respondents In Both UAE And KSA Think Pfizer Vaccine Is Safe Than Unsafe (74% Vs 10%)

Currently, three-quarters of respondents in both the countries think Pfizer vaccine is safe than unsafe (74% vs 10%). Less than one in five (17%) said they are unsure about its safety. Comparatively, UAE residents are more likely than KSA residents to trust Pfizer for its safety (76% vs 71%). Adults between 25-34 years are more likely to trust the vaccine; but trust is lower among the youngest age group (18-24 years). This is more common among young adults in KSA, where only 66% say they consider Pfizer safe.

(YouGov MENA)

June 30, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/06/30/uae-ksa-residents-consider-pfizer-biotech-safest-c/

Egyptians, Ethiopians Struggle Over Shared Nile Resources, 64% Of Egyptians Reported Interruptions To Water Supply In Past Year

In 2020, nearly two in three Egyptians said they experienced interruptions in their water source, including one in five (21%) for whom this occurred almost every month. Further, more than one in three (36%) worried in the past 12 months that there would not be enough water to meet needs, and 25% had no usable or drinkable water in their household. In 2016, the Gallup World Poll found that 44% of Ethiopians lit their homes with electricity from a power line, while 19% illuminated their homes with kerosene lamps and 11% with flashlights.

(Gallup)

JULY 1, 2021

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/351827/egyptians-ethiopians-struggle-shared-nile-resources.aspx

On Average Nearly Half (43%) Of People Are Uncomfortable About Visiting Live Events Such As Sports, Music Concerts, Festivals

According to consumer data collected by YouGov in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Philippines, on average nearly half (43%) of people are uncomfortable about visiting live events such as sports, music concerts, festivals; while just 38% say they are comfortable. Drilling down into the six markets, nearly half of the population in Canada (48%) and more than half in Australia (54%) and the Philippines (53%) say they are uncomfortable; while in the US, UK and Denmark a majority say they are comfortable attending this type of live event.

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/articles-reports/2021/07/01/post-lockdown-are-people-comfortable-attending-per

Half (47%) Of Africans Went Without Enough Food During The Past Year

On average across 32 countries surveyed in 2019/2021, more than half (53%) of respondents say they went without food at least once during the previous year. About one in six (17%) say this happened “many times” or “always,” while 21% say they went hungry “several times” (Figure 1). o Food deprivation was most prevalent in Malawi (79%), Niger (76%), and Zambia (75%), while Mauritians (10%) and Moroccans (15%) are least likely to report going hungry (Figure 2).

(Afrobarometer)

2 July 2021

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release//news_release-half_of_africans_went_without_enough_food-afrobarometer-1july21.pdf

ASIA

697-43-01/Poll

Indians (78%) Think The COVID Situation In Their Country Is Getting Better, But Seven In Ten (71%) Said They Are Also Worried About Their Personal Finances Getting Affected

Even though people think the situation is getting better, seven in ten (71%) said they are worried about their personal finances getting affected because of the Covid outbreak. However, the biggest concern is its long lasting negative impact of on the society.

When asked about how their financial situation changed in the past 3 months, two in five respondents (40%) said it has worsened, while for nearly a third (32%) there has been no change. One in seven (14%) think their financial situation has improved in this duration and the rest are not sure.

While many (37%) think their financial situation may recover in the near future (between 1-6 months), the majority (51%) feel it may take longer (over 6 months or more than a year) until things look bright on the monetary front.

The view of economic recovery is less hopeful; with more than two in five (42%) saying India’s economy will be in recession or depression in twelve months’ time. Others are divided between expecting the economy to boom (24%) or remaining stable (19%).

Given the uncertain times and the looming worry about personal finances, it is not surprising to see urban Indians leaning towards savings for emergencies. Nearly a third of respondents (31%) are prioritizing safeguarding their current holdings or investments. A quarter (26%) plan to increase their investments with minimum or no risk while a fifth plan to do so despite risk involved (20%). Just as many (23%) have no particular investment strategy.

A majority have started investing in some financial instrument in the past 3 months and only a quarter are not investing at all. Life Insurance, Fixed Deposits, health insurance and mutual funds are the most popular instruments that urban Indians have newly started investing in. The pandemic has given a boost to many alternative avenues of investment and some people have started investing in cryptocurrencies (16%), E-gold (13%) and real estate (10%) during this time.

Looking ahead, two in five urban Indians (39%) intend to increase their monthly investments while three in ten (29%) plan to keep it the same. Only 18% plan to reduce their monthly investments.

Securing their family is the biggest reason for wanting to increase investments (as said by 56%). Many want to do so because they believe this is a good time to invest in the market (41%) or because they find it easy through invest through digital apps (38%). Those wanting to reduce are doing so mainly because of lower disposal income due to pay cuts (38%) or increased household expenditure (35%).

We took a deeper look into the grocery sector to see how the changing consumer sentiment has affected shopping within this category.

Grocery shopping: A deep dive

A look at urban Indians’ recent spending habits shows, expenditure on health and wellness products such as medicines, sanitisers, etc. has increased for a majority of people across both offline and online purchase channels (62% and 54% respectively) in the past two weeks. Large proportions also reported spending more on groceries across both.

When asked how often they have shopped for groceries in the past 2 weeks, 37% respondents claimed to make a purchase at least once a week. Just as many did so more often: several times a week (31%) or at least once a day (13%).

Amidst restrictions in the last 2 weeks, a majority (58%) preferred shopping for groceries offline by visiting a store or placing an order on phone. Having said that, a large proportion (42%) ordered online through delivery apps.

Among those who ordered groceries online, safety stood as the biggest reason for choosing this medium (63%), followed by convenience (51%).

On the other hand, flexibility to pay the local store at their convenience emerged as the top reason for not buying groceries online (as said by 36%), suggesting consumers are looking for hassle-free ways to shop without worrying about cash in hand.

This presents a great opportunity for online shopping platforms with ‘buy now pay later’ feature and they can encourage consumers to switch online by providing a convenient shopping experience amidst the pandemic.

Speaking about this Deepa Bhatia, General Manager, YouGov India, said, "Yougov’s Covid-trackers have been tracking public sentiment around the virus since last year when the pandemic first broke out in the world. In these uncertain and volatile times, data provides unique insights and direction to companies and organisations on how consumer behaviour is changing as the ground situation changes. A global crisis such as this will have unprecedented effects and its best to have a continuous stream of data to map expectations and plan better whilst keeping in mind how soon or late recovery is expected to happen.”

(YouGov India)
June 28, 2021

Source: https://in.yougov.com/en-hi/news/2021/06/28/urban-indians-think-covid-situation-india-improvin/

697-43-02/Poll

80% Of The Muslims Felt It Was Important To Stop People From Their Community From Marrying Into Another Religion, 65% Of Hindus Felt The Same

Most Indians see themselves and their country as religiously tolerant but are against interfaith marriage, a survey from Pew Research Center has found.

People across different faiths in the country said stopping interfaith marriage was a "high priority" for them.

The research comes after laws were introduced in several Indian states criminalising interfaith love.

Pew interviewed 30,000 people across India in 17 languages for the study.

The interviewees were from 26 states and three federally administered territories.

According to the survey, 80% of the Muslims who were interviewed felt it was important to stop people from their community from marrying into another religion. Around 65% of Hindus felt the same.

The survey also asked about the relationship between faith and nationality. It found that Hindus "tend to see their religious identity and Indian national identity as closely intertwined".

Nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64%) said it was very important to be Hindu in order to be "truly Indian".

The study found that despite sharing certain values and religious beliefs, members of India's major religious communities "often don't feel they have much in common".

"Indians simultaneously express enthusiasm for religious tolerance and a consistent preference for keeping their religious communities in segregated spheres - they live together separately," the study said.

Many lead religiously segregated lives, it added, when it comes to friendships, and "would prefer to keep people of certain religions out of their residential areas or village".

Marriages between Hindus and Muslims have long attracted censure in conservative Indian families, but couples are also facing legal hurdles now.

India's Special Marriage Act mandates a 30-day notice period for interfaith couples. And some Indian states led by the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have taken further steps, introducing laws which ban "unlawful conversion" by force or fraudulent means.

It is in response to what right-wing Hindu groups call "love jihad" - a baseless conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of luring Hindu women with the sole purpose of converting them to Islam.

Interfaith lovers face several challenges, both from societal attitudes and the Indian law.

The opposition to interfaith relationships is something Sumit Chauhan and his wife Azra Parveen can relate to. Mr Chauhan is from a Hindu family, although he identifies by his Dalit caste (formerly known as untouchables). Ms Parveen is a Muslim.

Mr Chauhan said his Hindu relatives "had some misconceptions about the Muslim community, but I convinced my mother and sister and brother."

But for Ms Parveen, things were not as simple. Her family refused to let them marry, she said. The couple decided to tie the knot in secret, and Ms Parveen's family did not talk to the couple for almost three years, Mr Chauhan said.

And even though they are now on speaking terms, Ms Parveen's parents still won't publicly acknowledge the marriage.

"Last year, my wife's younger sister got married but we were not invited," Mr Chauhan said. "You shouldn't have to change your religion to marry someone you love."

(BBC News)

29 June 2021

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57647931.amp

697-43-03/Poll

The Majority Of Hindus See Themselves As Very Different From Muslims (66%), And Most Muslims Return The Sentiment, Saying They Are Very Different From Hindus (64%)

The dimensions of Hindu nationalism in India

India’s Muslims express pride in being Indian while identifying communal tensions, desiring segregation

Sidebar: Islamic courts in India

Muslims, Hindus diverge over legacy of Partition

Caste is another dividing line in Indian society, and not just among Hindus

Religion is not the only fault line in Indian society. In some regions of the country, significant shares of people perceive widespread, caste-based discrimination.

Overall, the majority of Indian adults say they are a member of a Scheduled Caste (SC) – often referred to as Dalits (25%) – Scheduled Tribe (ST) (9%) or Other Backward Class (OBC) (35%).2

Buddhists in India nearly universally identify themselves in these categories, including 89% who are Dalits (sometimes referred to by the pejorative term “untouchables”).

Three-quarters of Jains (76%) identify with General Category castes, as do 46% of both Muslims and Sikhs.

Religious conversion in India

Changes in India’s religious landscape over time are largely a result of differences in fertility rates among religious groups, not conversion.

Similarly, 0.3% of respondents have left Islam since childhood, matched by an identical share who say they were raised in other religions (or had no childhood religion) and have since become Muslim.

For Christians, however, there are some net gains from conversion: 0.4% of survey respondents are former Hindus who now identify as Christian, while 0.1% are former Christians.

Some Christian converts (16%) reside in the East as well (the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal); about two-thirds of all Christians in the East (64%) belong to Scheduled Tribes.

Religion very important across India’s religious groups

For more on religious practices across India’s religious groups, see Chapter 7.

Near-universal belief in God, but wide variation in how God is perceived

Most Hindus feel close to multiple gods, but Shiva, Hanuman and Ganesha are most popular

The god that Hindus most commonly feel close to is Shiva (44%). In addition, about one-third of Hindus feel close to Hanuman or Ganesha (35% and 32%, respectively).

Sidebar: Despite economic advancement, few signs that importance of religion is declining

Across India’s religious groups, widespread sharing of beliefs, practices, values

Within all six religious groups, eight-in-ten or more also say that helping the poor and needy is a crucial part of their religious identity.

Religious identity in India: Hindus divided on whether belief in God is required to be a Hindu, but most say eating beef is disqualifying

Sidebar: People in the South differ from rest of the country in their views of religion, national identity

Muslim identity in India

Majority of Muslim women in India oppose ‘triple talaq’ (Islamic divorce)

Sikhs are proud to be Punjabi and Indian

(PEW)

JUNE 29, 2021

Source: https://www.pewforum.org/2021/06/29/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation/

697-43-04/Poll

3 In 10 Pakistanis Think That The Kashmir Issue Should Be Resolved Through Talks With India

According to a survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, 30% Pakistanis think that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through talks with India. A nationally representative sample of adult men and women from across the four provinces was asked the following question, “How do you think the Kashmir Dispute should be resolved?” In response to this question, 30% of Pakistanis said through “talks with India”, 14% said “through the United Nations”, 12% said “through war”, 4% said, “silence is better”, 3% said “Kashmiris should take the first stand” and 28% said they “don’t know.” 8% did not respond.

When asked, “How do you think the Kashmir Dispute should be resolved?”, 34% in Punjab said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved “through talks with India”, followed by 24% in Sindh, 27% in KPK and 19% in Balochistan.

(Gallup Pakistan)

July 2, 2021

Source: https://gallup.com.pk/post/3194

WEST EUROPE

697-43-05/Poll

3 In 4 Britons Support Offering Children The Vaccine

Similarly, two-thirds (67%) of parents of children aged 17 or under say they are at least fairly likely to get their child(ren) vaccinated should it be made available to them, while 3 in 10 (29%) are not. While still a majority, parents of younger children are less likely to have their children vaccinated. Six in ten parents of child(ren) aged 5 or under say they are likely to give them the vaccine, which rises to 7 in 10 parents of 13-15 year olds (70%) and 8 in 10 parents of 16-17-year olds (81%).

Seven in 10 (70%) parents from white ethnic groups say they would get their children the COVID-19 vaccine, only a quarter say they would not (26%). In comparison, 54% of parents from ethnic minority groups would allow their children to take the vaccine, while over 4 in 10 (44%) say they are unlikely to allow this if at all.

The main reasons for parents not getting their children vaccinated is worry about any long-term effects on their health (51% of those who would not get their children vaccinated) or side effects on children (48%), while a third (36%) say they don’t know if the vaccines have been tested for children. Only 15% say they do not trust the government in their advice to take the vaccine.

Why would you not get you child(ren) vaccinated against COVID-19? The most convincing arguments for parents who say they will allow their children to take the COVID-19 vaccine are to prevent the spread of the virus (71%), to prevent their child(ren) from catching Covid (64%) and to allow them to get back to normal more quickly (61%). Other reasons for allowing children to take the vaccine include preventing the spread of the virus to elderly relatives, reducing the likelihood of a new variant and trust in scientists (all 55%).

Why would you get your child(ren) vaccinated against COVID-19

Kelly Beaver, MD of Public Affairs Ipsos MORI, said:

With two-thirds of parents prepared to get their children vaccinated, there is obviously some appetite for the vaccination programme to be extended below the current limit of 18, should we go down this path. However, there are significant numbers in certain groups who are more hesitant – especially parents of younger children and parents from ethnic minority groups, and if it does go ahead concerns about the potential long-term side-effects of vaccinating younger people will need to be addressed. For the adult population, we have seen take-up of vaccines increase and concerns fall as the programme rolled out – if the vaccine is offered to children, it will be key to monitor this among parents too.

(Ipsos MORI)

30 June 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/3-4-britons-support-offering-children-vaccine

697-43-06/Poll

Ahead Of Batley And Spen By-Election 6 In 10 Britons Think It Is Unclear What Labour Leader Keir Starmer Stands For

New polling from Ipsos MORI’s Political Pulse series, taken over the weekend of the 25th -28th June shows:

Just 30% of Britons say it is very clear or fairly clear what Keir Starmer stands for. 60% think it is not very clear or not clear at all– including two in five (41%) 2019 Labour voters.
52% think it is clear what Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands for – including 79% of 2019 Conservative voters. 40% of Britons overall think it is unclear.
Favourability towards Johnson and the Conservative Party has fallen since May – but just 1 in 4 Britons think Labour under Starmer would do a better job in government.

Is it clear what Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer stand for? Ipsos MORI

Are things in Britain heading in the right or wrong direction?

40% of Britons think the country is heading in the wrong direction (+6 pts from May), 35% think things are heading in the right direction (-12) The.net rating on this measure falls from +13 to -5 since May. The worst net rating since January this year.

How favourable are the public towards the parties and leading politicians?

As we may expect, public favourability towards Matt Hancock has fallen sharply. 17% of Britons are favourable towards the former Health Secretary (-14 pts since May) and 56% unfavourable (+20 pts). His net rating now stands at -39 rather than -5 in May.
Interestingly, favourability towards Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party also fall to figures not seen since January and February this year.

33% of Britons are favourable towards Boris Johnson this month (-7 pts from May), 47% are unfavourable (+7 pts). Net favourability falls from zero in May to -14 this month.
Overall 31% of Britons are favourable towards the Conservative Party (-5 pts from May). 45% are unfavourable (+6 pts). Net favourability towards the party has fallen to -14 this month from -3 in May.

However, falling popularity for Johnson and the Conservatives is not followed by rising support for Starmer and Labour. For both, numbers are largely unchanged.

For Keir Starmer, just one in five Britons are favourable towards the Labour leader (20%, -1 pt from May). 45% are unfavourable (+2 pts). His net favourable ratings virtually unchanged at -25 compared to -22 in May.
For the Labour Party a similar story is told. 25% of Britons are favourable towards the Labour Party (-2 pts from May) and 45% are unfavourable (+3 pts). Net favourability towards the party stands at -20 now rather than -15 in May.

Are the Conservatives doing well in government? Would Labour do better?

32% think the current Conservative government, led by Boris Johnson, is doing well at running the country. 44% say it is doing badly. 21% have no opinion. 3% don’t know.
However, when asked whether a Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, would do any better just one in four (26%) think it would do a better job, 36% think it would do worse and 27% say it would make no difference. 11% don’t know.

Impact of leaving the EU

Meanwhile 32% think the UK decision to leave the EU has had a positive impact on the country (-4 pts from May). 44% say negative (+3 pts).

Commenting on the findings, Ipsos MORI Director of Politics Keiran Pedley said:

It will concern Keir Starmer and his supporters that 6 in 10 Britons are unclear what he stands for. Meanwhile, at a time when favourability towards Johnson and the Conservatives appears to have fallen, it is striking that just one in four Britons think Labour would do a better job in government. In this context, whispers about Starmer’s leadership may well grow louder if Labour lose the Batley and Spen by-election this week.

(Ipsos MORI)

1 July 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/batley-spen-byelection-6-10-britons-think-it-unclear-what-keir-starmer-stands-for

697-43-07/Poll

Right To Repair: Britons Are Most Comfortable Repairing Wooden Furniture (60%)

New legislation set to be imported from the EU will see manufacturers required to offer spare parts for several types of home appliances, with the aim of improving repairability and cutting down on waste. The new rules, dubbed the “Right to Repair” will apply to lighting, washing machines, dishwashers and fridges from this summer.

However, even with parts available, are Britons willing to make repairs? A new YouGov survey asks Britons how comfortable they would feel about repairing such appliances, as well as a wide range of other home goods.

Around the home

Another 51% of people would feel comfortable attempting repairs to small lamps and lights, the highest for the appliances covered under the new rules. This includes some 39% of women, making it the electronic item women are most comfortable attempting to repair. Despite confidence in repairing smaller lights, only 37% would Brits would be comfortable attempting repairs to ceiling or main lights in their home,

If the heating was on the blink, a quarter (27%) would feel comfortable repairing a radiator, however only 8% would feel the same way about tackling an issue with their boiler (with 82% uncomfortable attempting a home fix).

In the bathroom

When it comes to plumbing, two fifths of people (41%) would be comfortable enough to attempt a repair on their loo if it was broken – including half (52%) of men and 31% of women. However, some 7% of Brits have a bad experience in the bathroom and say while they have tried to fix a toilet before they would not feel comfortable doing so again, the highest of the all the items asked about.

A similar amount of people (43%, including 55% of men and 31% of women) would also be comfortable trying to repair their taps if they were broken, while only 16% would feel comfortable attempting to mend a power/electric shower

In the kitchen

Most of the appliances featured in the new legislation can be found in the kitchen, however our data suggests few feel comfortable taking advantage of the increased availability of spare parts. Of the kitchen appliances covered under the new rules, Britons are most comfortable repairing their washing machines (22%) including some three in men (32%) and half as many women (14%).

Elsewhere people are less comfortable with dishwashers (16%), however it is worth noting that another 16% of people said they would never own such an item – a much higher proportion than the other appliances.

Should their fridges or freezers suffer a fault, 13% of Brits would be comfortable attempting their own repairs.

Of some smaller appliances, approaching a quarter (23%) would be comfortable repairing their kettle, while one in five (20%) would be comfortable patching up a broken toaster,

Cookers prove among the least popular items for home repairs, with only 9% happy to attempt to repairs on gas hobs and 4% comfortable doing so for gas ovens - the lowest of all the appliances - but rising to one in ten among men (10%).

Other small goods

Elsewhere in the home. 42% feel comfortable repairing vacuum cleaners – with nearly a quarter (24%) having done so in the past already. Nearly three in ten (29%) would attempt repairs to stereo systems, while only 14% would tackle issues with their television.

Men do love their power tools, and 38% of them are willing to try and repair theirs when they break down, compared to 13% of women also comfortable doing so.

Of the more complicated electronics, 30% of people (44% of men and 17% of women) would be willing to repair their laptop or computer should it break down, however only 19% say the same for their smart phones.

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2021/07/01/right-repair-appliances-brits-fix

697-43-08/Poll

Labour Members: 69% Think Burnham Would Be A Better Leader Than Starmer

Over the last week, YouGov has interviewed almost 900 Labour members on behalf of Sky News, asking their opinions on the party’s leader, senior figures and prospects for the future.

The results do not make comfortable reading for Sir Keir Starmer.

Should he stay or should he go?

Just over half (53%) think that he will remain as leader through until the next General Election. A third (34%) believe it is unlikely that the under pressure leader will last that long.

The biggest immediate headache for Starmer, though, is what should happen if the party loses the Batley and Spen by-election on Thursday. While just under half (48%) think he should stay if the Labour is defeated, two in five (41%) believe he should step down.

There are notable geographical divides on this issue. Half (50%) of Labour members in the North of England think that Sir Keir should stand down if the constituency is lost, along with 43% of those in the Midlands and Wales. That compares to just over a third (36%) of members in London.

How he has done as leader

Just over half (55%) believe Starmer has done well leading the party, while 42% think he has done badly. While 65% of older members (aged 65+) give his leadership a thumbs up, this figure falls to 43% among those aged 25-49.

Despite his efforts to transform the Labour party and its electoral fortunes, only four in ten (40%) think that Sir Keir has “changed the party for the better”. Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) think he has changed the party for the worse, while 30% believe he has not made any real difference.

Alternatives to Starmer

We also asked Labour members about their preferences for alternative party leaders. Here, we found that seven in ten (69%) members feel that Andy Burnham would “be a better leader than Keir Starmer”. Just 7% think the Mayor of Greater Manchester would be worse, while 17% reckon he would be “much the same”.

Members are much less keen on the prospects of Sadiq Khan. While 29% think the Mayor of London would do a better job than Starmer, 20% believe he would do worse, and 38% think he would do much the same.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy attracts similar figures to Khan (23% better, 24% worse, 37% the same), while the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper receives a slightly more positive reception (38% better, 15% worse, 32% the same).

However, there is little encouragement to be found here for potential challengers from the left of the party. While 23% of members believe that Rebecca Long-Bailey would do a better job than Starmer, over half (54%) think she would do worse (13% the same). Equally, while one in six (16%) members reckon that Richard Burgon would make for a better leader, 39% think he would be worse (11% the same).

Of course, only existing MPs can be leaders of the Labour Party. In a perspective ballot of prominent Labour MPs who might contest a leadership election, we found that Yvette Cooper attracted by far the most support, with 35% of Labour members indicating they would back her.

Lisa Nandy attracts the support of 13% of members, slightly ahead of Angela Rayner (12%) and Rebecca Long-Bailey (11%). Richard Burgon has the backing of 6% while “none of these” scores 13%.

How well are leading Labour figures doing?

While Keir Starmer’s numbers look mixed at best, his Shadow Cabinet appear to be performing much better in the eyes of the party membership. Two thirds (68%) believe that Lisa Nandy has done well in her role as Shadow Foreign Secretary (compared to 16% who think she has done badly), and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner performs about the same, with 67% of members thinking she has done well (23% badly). Just over half (53%) of members think Rachel Reeves has done well in her role as Shadow Chancellor (compared to 19% that believe she has done badly).

However, the Shadow Cabinet’s performance is eclipsed by both Andy Burnham (who 94% of Labour members think has done a good job as Mayor of Greater Manchester), and Sadiq Khan (who 87% of members believe has performed well as Mayor of London).

The future

Labour members are not optimistic about their party’s chances at the next General Election either. Two thirds (65%) think it is unlikely that the party would win the next nationwide ballot, compared to just one in five (21%) who believe the party would emerge victoriously.

In terms of its message to the electorate, members think that the party should “get on with announcing more detailed policies for the country” (64% support, versus 27% who said the party should wait until closer to the election), and that they should “keep most of the policies that Jeremy Corbyn put forward at the last election” (51% support, versus 23% who said Labour should drop the former leader’s platform).

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/07/01/labour-members-69-think-burnham-would-be-better-le

697-43-09/Poll

Some Six In Ten Britons (62%) Would Support Returning Historical Artefacts To Their Country Of Origin On A Permanent Basis

The British Museum has come under renewed pressure to return some 900 artefacts from the former Kingdom of Benin to Nigeria. The calls follow the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announcing it would be returning two brass plaques that were among hundreds of items looted by British soldiers in 1897.

A similar gesture from this side of the Atlantic won’t be possible just yet, however, as British museums are forbidden by law to give away items from their collections. But what do Britons think?

Half Conservatives voters (50%) and eight in ten Labour voters (79%) support returning historical artefacts. Most people in all age groups are supportive, but most notably adults aged 18-24 (69%).

Around a fifth of Brits (21%) would be opposed to repatriation of artefacts to their place of origin, highest among Conservative voters (34%) and those aged 65 and above (27%).

Britons also tend to support temporary loans of artefacts back to their home nations, albeit not as strongly, at 48% support to 31% opposed. This temporary approach is more popular with Conservatives (56%) than Labour voters (47%), and is indeed the most supported option among Tories.

Only a small minority of Britons (15%) would support British museums not loaning or returning artefacts at all, with 64% opposed – including a majority of both Conservatives (58%) and Labour voters (79%).

Would it be reasonable for countries to refuse to return artefacts on loan to them?

If British museums did loan out colonial artefacts to the countries they came from, would it fair for those countries to refuse to return the artefacts when the loan ended? Britons are split, with some 42% seeing this as a reasonable action, compared to 38%.

Conservatives however, are more likely to see countries refusing to return their artefacts as unreasonable (54%) with three in ten thinking this would be reasonable. Labour voters think the opposite, with 57% thinking it would reasonable and 24% saying it would be unreasonable to do so.

Are artefacts taken by Britain more a part of British history than of the place they came from?

A common argument for the repatriation of artefacts is that they are best understood and appreciated it their original historical and cultural context. Some 46% of Brits might agree, saying that looted artefacts remain more a part of their country of origin’s history than they are a part of British history.

However, a third of Britons (35%) think that artefacts taken by Britain are just as much a part of British history as the country they were taken from, and a further 6% think they have become more a part of British history – including one in nine Conservatives (11%).

Conservatives are also more likely to say looted artefacts are an equal part of both history’s (45%) than being a part of the original country’s history (35%). Most Labour voters (61%0, however, think the artefacts are more a part of their country of origin’s history instead of shared between the two.

(YouGov UK)

July 02, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/arts/articles-reports/2021/07/02/should-britain-return-historical-artefacts-their-c

697-43-10/Poll

62% Of French People Plan To Do The Sales This Summer

French people missed stores

Ready-to-wear at the top of purchasing intentions

In which categories do the French want to buy as a priority? With 73%, Ready-to-wear leads purchase intentions , followed by shoes, bags and accessories at 58%, and household items, decoration and tableware (33%). High-tech products and cultural products (video games, records, films, series, books, etc.), for their part, garner 25% of purchasing intentions, ahead of beauty products (24%), and sports and garden equipment. exterior (22%). Appliances closes the list with 18% purchase intention .

39% plan to spend between € 100 and € 200 during sales

Where will the French do their shopping? One in two French people plan to buy in stores as well as online , 38% exclusively in stores and 12% exclusively on the Internet. Regarding their budget, 39% of French people plan to spend between 100 and 200 euros on good deals, 29% between 50 € and 100 €, 20% between 200 € and 500 € euros. Note that, based on the French who had made the sales this winter, 31% say they have respected their budget , 16% have almost respected it and 6% have not respected it.

“ It now remains to verify their ability to stay in the envelope, or not, this summer: it's up to the brands to make them succumb! », Concludes Yves Bardon , Ipsos Knowledge Center.

(Ipsos France)

July 2, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/62-des-francais-prevoient-de-faire-les-soldes-cet-ete

NORTH AMERICA

697-43-11/Poll

In 1971, Sixty Percent Americans Favored Lowering The Voting Age For Local And State Elections, While Just Over A Third Opposed

Fifty years ago, on July 1, 1971, the 26th Amendment took effect, lowering the voting age for all elections to 18. The change was decades in the making, with Gallup first asking about it in 1939 and a majority of Americans consistently supporting it by the 1950s.

Line graph. Trend from 1939 to 1970 in Americans' support for lowering U.S. voting age to 18. Percentage supporting was 17% in 1939, and rose to 39% in 1942 and as high as 63% by 1953. Thereafter, support ranged from 51% to 66%, including 57% in 1970.

Gallup's 1939 reading on public support for reducing the voting age found 17% of Americans favoring it and 79% opposed. But the proposal gained momentum after eligibility for the military draft was lowered from age 21 to 18 in November 1942, about a year into World War II. That gave rise to the slogan, "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote."

When Gallup asked about lowering the voting age in 1942 (after President Franklin D. Roosevelt had proposed lowering the draft to 18, but before Congress passed it), 39% were in favor of lowering the voting age, with a bare majority (52%) opposed. As George Gallup noted in his 1943 report, "On this issue, as on so many others, the war has begun to change people's thinking."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe, endorsed the change in his 1954 State of the Union address, saying, "For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of peril, been summoned to fight for America. They should participate in the political process that produces this fateful summons." But by then, support had already surged to 63% (in May 1953), perhaps related to the Korean War that was nearing its end.

In December 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the voting age be lowered to 18 for federal elections, and several states had already done the same. But a constitutional amendment would be required to extend the requirement to all state and local elections.

It took rising pressure stemming from young Americans' participation in the Vietnam War for Congress to ultimately act, passing the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971. The amendment was sent to the state legislatures for ratification, and this occurred with record speed, approved by the requisite three-fourths of the states by June. The amendment took effect July 1, and President Richard Nixon formally signed it on July 5.

Major Age Gaps in Support for Expanding the Vote

Gallup's final poll on the matter was taken March 11-14, 1971, asking Americans if they favored or opposed lowering the voting age for local and state elections. Sixty percent favored it, while just over a third were opposed.

In George Gallup's report on the survey, he noted that lowering the voting age "could cause serious problems for the GOP," explaining that "Recent surveys show the Democratic Party holding marked advantages among this age group in terms of political party allegiance, attitudes toward the war and the Nixon administration, and support for Democrats in trial heats against President Nixon."

Public support for lowering the voting age in local and state elections did vary somewhat by partisanship, with 63% of Democrats versus 50% of Republicans in favor. But the percentage backing the change varied even more by age, ranging from 84% of those 18 to 20 -- the age group benefiting from the amendment -- and 73% of those 21 to 29, versus 57% of adults 30 to 49 and 52% of those 50 and older.

1971: Americans' Support for Lowering Voting Age to 18 in Local, State Elections

The Supreme Court has ruled that the voting age be lowered to 18 for federal or national elections. Do you favor or oppose lowering the voting age to 18 for local and state elections?

	Favor	Oppose	No opinion
	%	%	%
U.S. adults	60	35	5
Age
18 to 20	84	14	2
21 to 29	73	21	6
30 to 49	57	38	5
50 and older	52	41	7
Party ID
Republicans	50	44	6
Independents	64	32	4
Democrats	63	32	5
Region
East	62	31	7
Midwest	54	41	5
South	65	31	4
West	57	38	5
GALLUP, MARCH 11-14, 1971

"Voting Absentee, Vietnam, 1968" by Archives Branch, USMC History Division is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

(Gallup USA)

JUNE 29, 2021

Source: https://news.gallup.com/vault/351659/gallup-vault-expanding-voting-rights-young-adults.aspx

697-43-12/Poll

Most Americans(67%) Have ‘Cold’ Views of China. Here’s What They Think About China, In Their Own Words

Negative views of China have increased substantially since 2018. Today, 67% of Americans have “cold” feelings toward China on a “feeling thermometer,” rating the country less than 50 on a 0 to 100 scale. This is up from just 46% who said the same in 2018. The intensity of these negative feelings has also increased: The share who say they have “very cold” feelings toward China (0-24 on the same scale) has roughly doubled from 23% to 47%.

But what do Americans think specifically about China beyond a number that represents their opinion of the country on a feeling thermometer? To understand this, we asked them an open-ended question: “What’s the first thing you think about when you think about China?” We analyzed the first five references in each response and found that Americans rarely brought up the Chinese people or the country’s long history and culture. Instead, they focused primarily on the Chinese government – including its policies or how it behaves internationally – as well as its economy. Human rights, China’s economy and the country’s political system were referenced most by Americans, coming up among 20%, 19% and 17% of respondents, respectively.

While these broad categories are informative, highlighting the frequency of certain topics and themes, the nuance evident in many responses is important in its own right. Below you can explore what Americans say is top of mind when it comes to China, based on the “feeling thermometer” score that they gave the country.

(PEW)

JUNE 30, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/30/most-americans-have-cold-views-of-china-heres-what-they-think-about-china-in-their-own-words/

697-43-13/Poll

51% Americans Say That UFOs Reported By People In The Military Are Likely Evidence Of Intelligent Life Outside Earth

As an unprecedented U.S. intelligence report brings new attention to the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects, about two-thirds of Americans (65%) say their best guess is that intelligent life exists on other planets, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted just before the release of the government assessment.

Perhaps not surprisingly, those who think there is intelligent life outside Earth are more inclined than others to see military reports of UFOs as evidence (69% and 16%, respectively).

By and large, the public does not view UFOs as a major threat to the country. When asked to think about U.S. national security, most Americans (87%) say that UFOs are not a threat at all (51%) or a minor threat (36%). One-in-ten say UFOs are a major threat to U.S. national security.

In general, Americans are not inclined to assume that UFOs are hostile. When asked for another best guess, 17% say UFOs are friendly, 7% say they are unfriendly and 74% said they are neither. This pattern holds when looking only at adults who say that UFOs reported by people in the military are probably or definitely evidence of intelligent life outside Earth. Among the 51% of U.S. adults who say that military-reported UFOs are at least probably evidence of intelligent life outside Earth, 26% say UFOs are friendly, 7% say they are unfriendly and 65% say neither.

Some segments of the public are more likely than others to believe that intelligent life exists on other planets. This view is especially pronounced among younger Americans. About three-quarters (76%) of adults under age 30 say intelligent life exists on other planets, versus 57% of those 50 and older.

Men are more likely than women to believe in extraterrestrial life (70% vs. 60%). However, men are not more likely than women to believe that the military-reported UFOs are probably or definitely evidence of intelligent life outside Earth. White adults and those who are college-educated tend to be more skeptical than others over the possibility that military-reported UFOs are evidence of extraterrestrial life.

While the intelligence report has received prominent media coverage, Americans were broadly unaware of the assessment prior to its release. Most Americans (87%) said they had heard or read a little (66%) or nothing at all (21%) about the government releasing information about UFO sightings, compared with just 12% who said they had heard or read a lot about it.

The 12% of adults who said they were following the developments most closely are particularly inclined to believe in intelligent life outside Earth (80%) and to believe that military-reported UFOs are at least probably evidence of such life (65%). This group is also slightly more likely to consider UFOs a major national security threat than other adults (17% vs. 9%).

From the survey alone, it is not possible to determine whether recent government information itself is making people more likely to believe the UFO reports are evidence of extraterrestrial life, or whether Americans who were already inclined to believe this tend to be among those following the story most closely.

When asked to evaluate the federal government’s handling of the reports of UFO sightings, the balance of public opinion is slightly negative. About half of Americans (49%) say the federal government is doing a very or somewhat bad job dealing with reports of UFO sightings, while 45% say the government is doing a very or somewhat good job.

Those who said they had heard or read a lot about the government releasing information on UFO sightings are more likely to feel the government is doing a bad job (60%) than those who said they had heard a little or nothing at all about the release (47%). Similarly, those who believe that military-reported UFO sightings are probably or definitely evidence of extraterrestrial life are more critical of the government’s handling of the issue (54% of this group say it has done a bad job) than those who do not believe the sightings are evidence of such life (44% of whom say the government has done a bad job).

(PEW)

JUNE 30, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/30/most-americans-believe-in-intelligent-life-beyond-earth-few-see-ufos-as-a-major-national-security-threat/

697-43-14/Poll

56% Of Americans Oppose The Right To Sue Social Media Companies For What Users Post

The right to sue social media companies in this way is one issue at the heart of current debates surrounding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which some lawmakers argue should be amended or repealed. This federal legislation currently protects online platforms from being held liable for content that is posted by users on websites and social media – while also allowing the sites to remove content if they do so in “good faith.” Opponents of changing the law assert that the existing regulation is crucial to protecting speech online and for tech companies to reasonably operate their platforms. Some say it “built” the internet as we know it.

Social media users themselves are more likely than non-users to oppose the idea that people should be able to sue these companies for what others post (59% vs. 47%).

Even though the legislation has been a source of political disagreement, there are only modest partisan differences in Americans’ views of the issue. These are driven to some degree by ideology. Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who identify as moderate or liberal are most likely to oppose the idea of people being able to sue (65%), while 57% of conservative Republicans say the same. Some 55% of conservative or moderate Democrats and Democratic leaners also say this, while liberal Democrats are more evenly split.

How Americans think the right to sue could impact key parts of online life

The survey also explored public views about three possible ways that activity on social media platforms might change if people were allowed to sue the platforms for content posted by other users.

Some policymakers who say new and stricter rules are needed argue that since social media platforms aren’t held accountable for content that is posted on their platforms, the companies have little incentive to properly protect users from harmful speech. The survey finds that roughly half of Americans think the prospect of lawsuits against social media firms would most likely decrease the amount of bullying or harassing content (53%) and information that is inaccurate or misleading (49%) on these platforms.

At the same time, four-in-ten Americans think that this type of action would most likely decrease the number of people who freely express their opinions on the platforms. These findings come as some argue Section 230 legal protections give too much leeway to tech firms that are not policing content fairly, allowing individual companies to make rules about what speech is and is not allowed on their platforms without being accountable for the decisions. By contrast, 19% of Americans say the number of people freely speaking their opinions would increase with the right to sue.

Another share of Americans say that there would be little impact in these areas – that is, that harassment (29%), inaccurate or misleading information (32%) and the number of people freely expressing their opinions (40%) would stay about the same.

Not all Americans are equally likely to think the amount of these types of content would change with the right to sue. For example, roughly three-in-ten of those with a high school diploma or less say that the number of people who freely express their opinions on these platforms would most likely increase if people could sue over content. Smaller shares of those with more formal education say the same.

White adults are less likely than Hispanic or Black adults to say this type of free expression would increase. (There were not enough Asian American respondents in the survey to be broken out separately. As always, their responses are incorporated into the general population figures reported throughout this analysis.)

Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to say the number of people freely expressing their opinion would increase if people could sue social media companies over user content, while Democrats are slightly more likely than Republicans to say it would stay about the same.

As far as what might happen with potentially harmful content on these platforms, majorities of Democrats say that the amount of bullying or harassing posts or content and the amount of misleading or inaccurate information would most likely decrease as a result of people being able to sue in this way. Smaller shares of Republicans say the same.

Liberal Democrats (64%) are most likely to say harassment would decrease if people could sue social media companies. Similarly, 62% of liberal Democrats say that the amount of misleading or inaccurate content would most likely decrease if people could sue, compared with 53% of conservative or moderate Democrats and roughly four-in-ten Republicans regardless of ideology.

For both types of content, a larger share of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher say each type of harmful content would decrease, compared with those having less formal education.

Views on what might happen to harassment also vary somewhat by race and ethnicity. A majority of White adults say this would most likely decrease, compared with a smaller share of Black adults. Roughly half of adults regardless of race or ethnicity say that inaccurate or misleading information would decrease, though Black adults and Hispanic adults are more likely than White adults to say the amount of these types of content might increase.

Views on the right to sue social media companies vary by Americans’ awareness of regulation debates

The debate surrounding this law and related issues intensified in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order trying to curb social media firms’ use of the legislation to protect themselves. President Joe Biden repealed that order but has said in the past he wants to revoke Section 230.

When it comes to how closely Americans have been following the conversation about government regulation of “Big Tech,” 51% say they’ve heard at least a fair amount about the debates on the role government should play in regulating major technology companies, while a similar share (49%) say they’ve heard “nothing at all” or “not too much.”

Support for suing social media companies for what others post varies by this level of awareness. Those who are familiar with these conversations are 14 percentage points more likely than others who have heard less to support the right to sue social media companies for user content (48% vs. 34%).

(PEW)

JULY 1, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/01/56-of-americans-oppose-the-right-to-sue-social-media-companies-for-what-users-post/

697-43-15/Poll

Among The 67% Of Canadian Drivers Who Used Alcohol In The Past 30 Days, One In Ten (10%) Have Driven Knowingly Impaired From Alcohol At Least Once In The Last 6 Months

Toronto, ON, June 29, 2021 —A recent poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of MADD Canada shows that some Canadian drivers aged 18-70 with a valid driver’s license (referred to as Canadian drivers hereafter) are driving while knowingly impaired from alcohol, cannabis, or an illicit drug that has not been prescribed, and that young men are even more likely to be engaging in these behaviours.

Canadian Drivers Are Driving While Knowingly Impaired And With Passengers Onboard

Among the 67% of Canadian drivers who used alcohol in the past 30 days, one in ten (10%) have driven knowingly impaired from alcohol at least once in the last 6 months, with a slight majority of these (53%) driving with passengers onboard. Among the 28% of drivers who used cannabis in the past 30 days, two in ten (19%) have driven knowingly impaired from cannabis at least once in the last 6 months, with a large majority of these (71%) driving with passengers. Among the 9% of drivers who used an illicit drug (top drugs mentioned: stimulant, depressant, hallucinogen, opioid, etc.) in the past 30 days, an even larger proportion, three in ten (29%), have knowingly driven while legally impaired from an illegal drug at least once in the last 6 months, with a vast majority of these (85%) driving with passengers onboard.

Among drivers who have driven while legally impaired from alcohol with passengers onboard, two-thirds (67%) have driven with at least one passenger below 18 years of age and nine in ten (91%) have driven with at least one passenger 18 years or older. Among those who have driven while legally impaired from cannabis with passengers onboard, six in ten (60%) have driven with at least one passenger below 18 years of age and nine in ten (90%) have driven with at least one passenger 18 years or older. Among those who have driven while legally impaired from an illicit drug with passengers onboard, three-quarters (75%) have driven with at least one passenger below 18 years of age and nine in ten (91%) have driven with at least one passenger 18 years or older.

Men Are The Most Frequent Offenders, Admittedly

The Ipsos poll indicates that men 18 to 34 are more likely to knowingly drive while impaired from alcohol, cannabis or an illicit drug. Among those who used alcohol in the past 30 days, almost two in ten (17%) have driven knowingly impaired from alcohol at least once in the past 6 months, with a large majority of these (72%) driving with passengers onboard. Among those who used cannabis in the past 30 days, three in ten (30%) have driven knowingly impaired from cannabis at least once in the past 6 months, with a majority of these (64%) driving with passengers. Among those who used an illicit drug (top drugs mentioned: stimulant, hallucinogen, depressant, etc.) in the past 30 days, an even larger proportion, four in ten (39%), have knowingly driven while legally impaired from an illicit drug at least once in the past 6 months, with a vast majority of these (87%) driving with passengers onboard.

Not Feeling Impaired, Not Having To Drive Far Or Thinking They Could Drive Carefully Top Reasons for Driving After Using Alcohol, Cannabis, Or Illicit Drug

Regardless of product consumed, the main reasons for driving within two hours of consuming alcohol, using cannabis (2 hours after smoking/vaporizing cannabis/4 hours of ingesting cannabis), or within two hours of consuming an illicit drug are: they don’t feel impaired, they don’t have to drive far, or they think they could drive carefully. Looking at the proportions who mention these reasons by the product consumed:

Among those who consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and drove a vehicle within 2 hours of consuming alcohol, the top reasons are: I did not feel impaired (56%), followed by I did not have to drive very far (29%) and I thought I could drive carefully (27%).
Among those who consumed cannabis in the past 30 days and drove a vehicle within 2 hours of smoking/vaporizing cannabis/4 hours of ingesting cannabis, the top reasons are: I did not feel impaired (54%), followed by I did not have to drive very far (28%) and I thought I could drive carefully (27%).
Among those who consumed an illicit drug in the past 30 days and drove a vehicle within 2 hours of using an illicit drug, the top reasons are: I did not feel impaired (35%), I did not have to drive very far (35%) and I thought I could drive carefully (34%).

Misconceptions About The Seriousness of Impaired Driving Impacting Behaviour

The results from the poll indicate that Canadian drivers express some level of nonchalance regarding impaired driving, and this is influencing behaviour. Three in ten (30%) Canadian drivers think there is a big difference between driving after consuming alcohol and driving after consuming cannabis. About one in ten, each, think it is “no big deal” to drive after consuming a few drinks (15%), consuming marijuana/cannabis (14%), or consuming an illicit drug (10%). Perhaps accordingly, a quarter, each, have knowingly ridden as a passenger in a car with a driver that was legally impaired (26%), while a quarter have let friends drive after consuming alcohol when they know it isn’t safe (23%).

(Ipsos Canada)

29 June 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/Some-Canadian-Drivers-Driving-While-Knowingly-Impaired

697-43-16/Poll

Liberals (38%) Support Plateaus On Back Of Vaccination Programme And Reopening Plans, While Conservatives Slip Behind (26%, -3)

Toronto, ON, June 30, 2021 – With Parliament recently adjourned for summer break, whisperings of an election being called upon MPs’ return in the fall have started to intensify. According to an Ipsos poll conducted for Global News among 1,501 Canadians both online and via telephone, vote intentions for the Liberals remain high, but the stability in recent months may indicate that support may have plateaued. Though a narrow majority of Canadians believe that the Prime Minister is doing a good job, the Liberals must maintain this goodwill over the summer, as there may be little room for the Liberals to increase their lead over the opposition, but plenty of opportunities for them to lose it.

If an election were held tomorrow, 38% of decided voters would vote for the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau; while this is unchanged from last month, it is also down 2 points from April’s polling. A quarter (26%) would vote for Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party, down 3 points from last month, and two in ten (20%) decided voters would cast their ballot for the NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, down 1 point from last month. Yves-Francois Blanchet and the Bloc would receive 8% of the vote nationally, (or 34% of the popular vote within in Quebec), an increase of 2 points from last month. Internal strife within Annamie Paul’s Green Party does not seem to have hampered support, as it would receive 7% of the vote, up 4 points from last wave. The remaining 2% would vote for another party, down 1 point from last month. Perhaps a sign of rising discontent with the major political parties, a quarter say they would either not vote (8%) or remain undecided (17%), a combined increase of 4 points over last wave.

Even if four in ten decided voters say they’d cast a ballot for the Liberal candidate in their riding, a slightly higher proportion of Canadians say they approve of the job the current government is doing; just over half (52%) approve (10% strongly/42% somewhat) of the performance of the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau (up 2 points), which represents a reserve of goodwill that the incumbent government should be careful to not squander.

The proportion of those who believe that the Trudeau government has done a good job and deserves re-election stands at 42%, but is down two points from April. The current government’s approval rating closely matches the popular vote share the Liberals would receive if an election were held today, which is certainly cause for optimism in the Liberal camp.

In addition, a similar proportion (42%) say that of the major party leaders, Justin Trudeau would make the best prime minister. Other party leaders trail the incumbent prime minister, with Jagmeet Singh (23%) polling ahead of his party nationally and Erin O’Toole (23%) polling behind the Conservatives.

Liberals Strong in Most Regions, Among Most Key Demographics

The Liberals have a strong lead among decided voters in four of the country’s main regions, which would be the key to delivering Trudeau a majority government:

In Ontario, the Liberals (42%) lead the Conservatives (27%), NDP (23%), Greens (7%), and others (2%).
In Quebec, the Liberals (40%) continue to lead, but the Bloc (34%) is gaining some ground, with the Tories (15%), NDP (8%), Greens (3%), and others (<1%) behind.
In British Columbia, the Liberals (36%) are in the lead, with the NDP (26%) and Conservatives (23%) trailing. The Green Party (12%) and others (4%) lag behind.
In Atlantic Canada, the Liberals (46%) have a commanding lead over the Conservatives (25%), NDP (22%), and Greens (5%).

While Liberal support in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Atlantic Canada could deliver Trudeau a majority in the next election, he must still reckon with the Prairie provinces, where support is significantly lower:

In Alberta, the Tories (38%) are in the driver’s seat, with the Liberals (29%) taking a back seat alongside the NDP (21%), Greens (9%), and others (3%). Although the Tories are in control, the challenges the Kenney government have faced in recent months have harmed the Tory brand (down from 46% in April).
In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Conservatives (43%) lead the Liberals (25%), NDP (23%), Greens (7%), and others (1%).

Not only do the Liberals lead in all the seat-rich regions of the country, but also among many key demographic voting blocks:

Among women, the Liberals (40%) are ahead of the NDP (25%), Conservatives (22%), Bloc (5%), Greens (6%), and others (1%).
Among men, the Liberals (36%) also lead over the Conservatives (29%), followed by the NDP (15%), Bloc (10%), Greens (7%), and others (3%).
Among those aged 55+, a core constituency for the Conservatives, the Liberals (40%) lead the Conservatives (29%), followed by the NDP (13%), Bloc (9%), Greens (6%), and others (3%) further behind.
Among those aged 35-54, the Liberals (38%) have a commanding lead over the Conservatives (25%), NDP (20%), Bloc (8%), Greens (6%), and others (2%).
Among those aged 18-34, the Liberals (37%) are far ahead of the NDP (29%) and Conservatives (20%), while the Bloc (5%), Greens (8%), and others (<1%) trail.

(Ipsos Canada)

30 June 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/Liberals-Support-Plateaus-Back-Vaccination-Programme

AUSTRALIA

697-43-17/Poll

Roy Morgan Business Confidence Down Only Slightly In June To 128.3; But New Covid-19 Restrictions A Clear Threat To The Recovery

This month, June 2021, Roy Morgan Business Confidence is down 1pt (-0.8%) to 128.3. Despite the fall Business Confidence is a massive 33.3pts (+35.1%) higher than a year ago in June 2020 (95.0). The Business Confidence result for June is based on interviewing conducted before the Sydney-wide lockdown and the latest restrictions introduced in several States announced over the weekend.

Business Confidence for June was 16.1pts (+14.3%) above the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence of 112.2 for June 26/27, 2021.

Business Confidence has had its best start to a year for a decade – since 2011

Business Confidence has now averaged 124.7 during the first six months of 2021, the best start to a year for the Index for a decade since 2011. The index also averaged 124.7 in the first half of 2011 during the middle of the ‘Mining Boom’.

This is the first time in the history of the index that Business Confidence has been above 120 for seven consecutive months from December 2020 – June 2021.

Roy Morgan Monthly Business Confidence -- Australia

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, Dec 2010-June 2021. Average monthly sample over the last 12 months = 1,321.

Business Confidence in June 2021 was highest in WA and increased strongly in Tasmania after a decisive election win, but dropped in Victoria as the State endured a lockdown

Business Confidence was significantly higher in all six Australian States than this time a year ago and WA was again higher than anywhere else at 142.6, up 32.1pts (+29.0%) on June 2020. WA has now had the highest Business Confidence of any State for four straight months although interviewing was completed before the introduction of new restrictions in Perth introduced over the weekend.

Tasmania is now flying high with Business Confidence of 141.3 in May/June 2021, an increase of 65.8pts (+87.0%) on a year ago. Tasmanian Business Confidence has been boosted by the decisive election victory of the Tasmanian Liberals who secured a record third straight election victory in early May.

In June 2021 Business Confidence was also above average in both NSW at 137.1, an increase of 36.4pts (+36.1%) on a year ago and South Australia at 132.0, up 43.6pts (+49.4%) on June 2020.

The Greater Sydney lockdown announced on the weekend will clearly negatively impact Business Confidence in NSW and particularly if it continues for longer than the initial two-week period.

Lagging below the national average, although still far up on a year ago, were Queensland on 120.8, an increase of 25.1pts (+26.2%) and Victoria on 112.8, up 28.4pts (+33.6%) on June 2020. Victorian Business Confidence dropped by 15.8pts in June as the State confronted a new outbreak of cases and went into a two-week lockdown in early June which proved successful in preventing a larger outbreak.

Business Confidence by State in June 2020 vs. June 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, June 2020, n=1,366, June 2021, n=1,343. Base: Australian businesses. Note: *The figure for Tasmania is a comparison of May-June 2020 and May-June 2021.

Public Administration & Defence, Wholesale, Property & Business Services, Community Services and Information Media & Telecommunications are the most confident industries

Public Administration & Defence is clearly the most confident industry in May-June 2021 with a Business Confidence of 166.3, up a massive 46.3pts (+38.5%) on the same period a year ago.

Following behind are Wholesale on 145.1 (up 43.5pts, +42.8%), Property & Business Services on 138.3 (up 34.8pts, +33.6%), Community Services on 137.7 (up 44.3pts, +47.4%) and Information Media & Telecommunications on 135.7 (up 39.5pts, +41.1%) which are all well above average.

Despite being the five industries with the lowest Business Confidence, all five now have a positive rating above 100 including Recreation & Personal on 122.1, up a massive 59.6pts (+95.3%) on a year ago – the largest percentage increase of any industries.

Many of the Recreation & Personal businesses such as personal training and hairdressing were heavily impacted by lockdowns and social distancing during 2020. This is the highest Business Confidence the industry has seen for three years since early 2018.

Other industries with lower than average Business Confidence include Finance & Insurance on 120.0, up 49.1pts (+69.3%) on a year ago, Manufacturing on 112.3, up 13.5pts (+13.6%), Accommodation & Food Services on 108.1, up 8.9pts (+9.0%) and Electricity, gas & water on 104.6, up 16.7pts (+25.8%).

Business Confidence for Top 5 & Bottom 5 industries in May-June 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, May-June 2021, n=2,731. Base: Australian businesses. Note: In the chart above green bars represent Business Confidence in positive territory above 100 and above the national average and blue bars represent Business Confidence in positive territory above 100 but below the national average.

Nearly two-thirds of businesses expect ‘good times’ for the economy over the next 12 months and a clear majority say the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’

Businesses are very confident about the Australian economy’s performance over the next year with nearly two-thirds, 64.8% (down 4.4ppts), expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next year while only 31.9% (up 3.8ppts), expect ‘bad times’;
In good news businesses are also confident about the longer-term outlook with 57.7% (up 1.5ppts) expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next five years (the highest figure for this indicator for five years since June 2016) compared to 36.3% (down 2.3ppts) which expect ‘bad times’;
In addition, a clear majority of businesses, 58.4% (down 0.4ppts), said the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’, while only 31.9% (down 1.5ppts) said it will be a ‘bad time to invest’;
Half of all businesses, 49.9% (up 1.6ppts), said the business was ‘better off’ financially than this time a year ago (the highest figure for this indicator for over three years since April 2018) while around a quarter, 25.9% (down 3ppts), said the business is ‘worse off’ (a record low for this indicator);
Almost half of all businesses, 48.2% (down 4.1ppts), expect the business will be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while just 12.0% (up 0.1ppts) expected the business to be ‘worse off’.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says Business Confidence largely held its ground in June despite a two-week Victorian lockdown although the new COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney and concerns about the national spread of the virus threaten the index over the next few weeks:

“Business Confidence was at 128.3 in June, down only 1pt from a seven-year high of 129.3 reached in May and the index is up a massive 33.3pts (+35.1%) on June 2020 (95.0). Interviewing for the survey was conducted prior to the fast-moving events of the weekend in which Greater Sydney entered a two-week lockdown and several States toughened restrictions.

“The lockdown of over 5 million people in Greater Sydney is the first city-wide lockdown of the city in over a year and along with the restrictions introduced in other States threatens to provide a significant hit to Business Confidence and the recovery in the period ahead.

“The new ‘Delta strain’ of COVID-19 is estimated to be almost twice as infectious as the initial COVID-19 virus and has proved too contagious for the NSW contact tracers to contain. The NSW contact tracers had managed to deal successfully with two major outbreaks over the last year without resorting to lockdowns but the new variant has proved too infectious to handle in the same way.

“However, the (relatively) good news is that the recent two-week Victorian lockdown, which ended on Friday June 11, did not provide a lasting negative impact to Business Confidence although the measure did decline in Victoria to 112.8 in June – lower than any other State.

“Elsewhere around Australia Business Confidence continues to ‘fly high’ and is especially high in Western Australia at 142.6 and Tasmania at 141.3. The Governments in both States were recently re-elected in historic election victories and the public’s vote of confidence in their handling of the pandemic is not only paying off at the ballot box but also giving confidence to local businesses.

“In May-June the most confident industries were Public Administration & Defence, Wholesale, Property & Business Services, Community Services and Information Media & Telecommunications – all of which had Business Confidence above 135 and have been consistently near the top of the index over the last few months and throughout the pandemic.

“The industries with Business Confidence well below average include Manufacturing (112.3), Electricity, gas & water (104.6) and Accommodation & Food Services (108.1). The troubles faced by businesses reliant on travel, tourism and hospitality have been well-documented with snap lockdowns and border closures. The latest outbreak is again playing havoc with travel plans and has forced many restaurants, cafes and bars in Sydney to close at short notice.

“The truth is that the only way Australia moves beyond these measures is when a large proportion, approaching 80% of Australian adults, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Given Australia’s population includes about 20 million aged 18+ this means about 16 million Australians need to receive two vaccine doses – a total of 32 million vaccine doses.

“The latest Health Department figures show about 7 million vaccine doses have been delivered – there is a long way to go to reach the threshold of 80% of Australian adults being fully vaccinated.”

(Roy Morgan)

June 29 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8738-roy-morgan-business-confidence-june-2021-202106290105

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

697-43-18/Poll

Two Thirds Of Britons Say Higher Education Is Not Affordable

The British public are also more likely than Swedes, Germans, Danes and French people to say too many people go to university

The architect behind the current student finance system in England has said the fairest way to fund higher education would be to lower the income threshold for repayments from £26,000 to £19,000.

While students in England pay up to £9,250 per year for an undergraduate degree, Swedes and Danes don’t pay anything. German students have to fork out between £85-300 in admin fees per term, while French students pay around £145 each year.

Despite Britons feeling more strongly than other nationalities in the survey that their higher education system is unaffordable, they are also the least supportive of tuition fees being entirely funded by the taxpayer. Only one in five people (22%) are in favour of it, compared with half of Danes (52%), two in five Swedes (43%) and 27-29% of people in Germany and France.

The most popular approach among Brits is a system that is partially funded by the taxpayer and partially by students, with over one in three people (36%) favouring this option. This is most akin to the current system in England, where the outstanding balance from student loans is written off after 30 years. According to London Economics, students under the current fees regime graduate with an average debt of £47,000, of which 54% will be written off after three decades, meaning the rest of the bill falls to the taxpayer.

Britons are also the most inclined to support higher education being entirely funded by students, either through tuition fees or a graduate tax. Three in ten people (29%) are in favour of this, compared with a quarter of Germans (25%) and French nationals (24%), a fifth of Swedes (19%) and one in eight Danes (13%).

Britons most likely to feel too many people go to university

Two in five people in Britain (40%) feel that too many people go to university – the highest among the five countries in the survey. Sentiment in Germany is similar at 38%, while around a quarter of people in Denmark (25%) and France (23%) feel the same. Swedes are the least likely to agree at 15%.

Around a quarter of Britons say the numbers who attend higher education are about right, while only 14% say not enough people get a degree. Swedes are the most likely to believe not enough people are attending higher education at 23%.

(YouGov UK)

June 28, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/education/articles-reports/2021/06/28/eurotrack-two-thirds-britons-say-higher-education-

697-43-19/Poll

Three-Quarters Of Respondents In Both UAE And KSA Think Pfizer Vaccine Is Safe Than Unsafe (74% Vs 10%)

YouGov’s latest study reveals that among the available Covid-19 vaccines in UAE & KSA, Pfizer-Biotech is considered the safest by residents.

While the government is procuring more Covid-19 vaccines, Pfizer remains one of the most widely approved vaccine for use in most of the GCC countries. Across the region, the level of trust in Pfizer’s safety is high; however, there are notable differences within age groups. Adults between 25-34 years are more likely to trust the vaccine; but trust is lower among the youngest age group (18-24 years). This is more common among young adults in KSA, where only 66% say they consider Pfizer safe.

Residents who are married with children are more likely to trust the vaccine as compared to the single population (76% vs 71%). The difference is more prominent among KSA residents, where there is a 9-percentage point difference between the two cohorts (75% vs 66%).

Similarly, working residents in the two countries are more likely than the non-working public to trust the Pfizer vaccine (78% vs 65%).

After Pfizer, other vaccines UAE & KSA residents consider safe are Oxford’s AstraZeneca (62%), Sinopharm (53%) and Moderna (50%). Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are perceived to be comparatively less safe.

At a country level, both KSA (60%) and UAE (63%) residents show similar trust levels in AstraZeneca’s safety, however, there are differences in the perceived safety of other vaccines. Three quarters of respondents in the UAE (74%) consider Sinopharm vaccine safe while in KSA less than half of this number think so (32%).

Although vaccines such as Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been approved for use in both the countries, they are thought to be more safe by the residents of UAE than KSA.

(YouGov MENA)

June 30, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/06/30/uae-ksa-residents-consider-pfizer-biotech-safest-c/

697-43-20/Poll

Egyptians, Ethiopians Struggle Over Shared Nile Resources, 64% Of Egyptians Reported Interruptions To Water Supply In Past Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sudan's government last week asked the U.N. Security Council to meet and discuss the future of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as talks remain stalled between Ethiopia and downstream countries Sudan and Egypt. Sudan recently rejected Ethiopia's plan to refill the dam for a second time when the rainy season starts.

At the heart of the disagreement are concerns that Ethiopia's damming of the Blue Nile may harm both Sudan and Egypt's water supply, an issue Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has described as "existential for all Egyptians."

Egyptians' Reported Frequency of Experiences With Water Insecurity Over Past 12 Months

	Almost every month	In some, but not every month	In one or two months	Never
	%	%	%	%
Water source was interrupted	21	35	8	35
Worried you would not have enough water for your needs	12	21	3	62
Felt angry due to these problems	11	24	3	61
Changed schedules or plans	8	17	4	70
Changed what you ate	8	16	3	72
Had no usable or drinkable water	8	14	3	76
Could not wash clothes	7	16	4	73
Felt shame due to these problems	7	16	3	74
Did not have as much water to drink as would have liked	7	13	2	77
Could not wash body	5	13	3	78
Could not wash hands	5	11	3	81
Went to sleep thirsty	3	7	2	88
HOUSEHOLD WATER INSECURITY EXPERIENCES/GALLUP, 2020

These data on Egyptians' experiences with water come from a partnership between the Gallup World Poll and Northwestern University, which implemented the Individual Water Insecurity Experiences (IWISE) scale to gain insights into how problems with water affect the daily lives of people all around the world.

Data from the IWISE demonstrate that water insecurity in Egypt is common occurrence even before the GERD is refilled. Egypt depends on the Nile River for 90% of its drinking water -- as well as the sediment it brings as a source of soil fertilization for its farms.

Even without GERD threatening to diminish the Nile's flow, Egypt's water system has buckled under the twin stresses of population growth and chronic mismanagement. A 2009 government report estimated that water conveyance efficiency stands at 70%; billions of cubic meters of water are lost each year because of leaks and inefficient irrigation techniques.

GERD's Importance to Ethiopia

The Nile is not only essential to Egyptians. The $5 billion GERD project promises to double Ethiopia's current electric output, which may allow the country to not only meet its current power needs but gain badly needed foreign currency through the sale of electricity to neighboring countries.

Increased electricity generation should help lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty, drive economic growth, and meet a crucial need of the population: keeping the lights on. In 2016, the Gallup World Poll found that 44% of Ethiopians lit their homes with electricity from a power line, while 19% illuminated their homes with kerosene lamps and 11% with flashlights.

At that time, just five years into construction of the dam, Ethiopians said that "improved electricity" was the second most important priority for the government to address (15%), just after improved security (18%).

The dam's completion would represent a tremendous victory for Ethiopia's government and could serve as a unifying accomplishment in a country torn by ethnic divisions and civil war in the Tigray region. The project's potential to "rally the flag" was on display in late 2020 when the Trump administration froze aid to Ethiopia over the dam dispute and suggested that Egypt could bomb the dam if an agreement was not made.

Surveys in late 2020 suggest that Ethiopians soured on U.S. leadership in response, as more disapproved of U.S. leadership than approved for the first time since 2012.

EthAppUS

Line graph. Ethiopians' views of U.S. leadership. In 2020, 25% approved of U.S. leadership, 34% disapproved and 41% did not know or refused to answer.

Bottom Line

The failure of Ethiopia and its downstream neighbors to reach an agreement on equitable access to Nile water carries with it potentially tremendous humanitarian and security consequences for the entire region. Already the second and third largest countries on the African continent, Egypt and Ethiopia are forecast to be among the 10 most populous countries in the world by 2100, putting heavy strain on limited water resources that climate change researchers say will get scarcer as the number of hot and dry years increases.

The GERD has the potential to create huge economic and developmental gains within Ethiopia or exacerbate a growing humanitarian crisis, depending on how it is implemented. If rules are not agreed to covering how the dam is operated and its vast reservoir filled, it may increase stress on already limited water availability in Egypt and Sudan.

A spike in the already significant water insecurity felt in Egypt could put many of the 28% of Egyptians who rely on agriculture out of work, drive up food prices, and destabilize the country's politics. The prosperity and survival of countries in the Nile Basin will depend heavily on the river's resources as GERD continues to cast a major shadow over both international and domestic politics. As Ethiopia prepares to fill the dam a second time in the coming rainy season, tensions will continue to run high.

(Gallup)

JULY 1, 2021

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/351827/egyptians-ethiopians-struggle-shared-nile-resources.aspx

697-43-21/Poll

On Average Nearly Half (43%) Of People Are Uncomfortable About Visiting Live Events Such As Sports, Music Concerts, Festivals

Throughout the pandemic, an increasing number of artists live-streamed shows online and got a response from fans, but no one can fool themselves into thinking that digital gigs are an adequate replacement for live concerts. But assuming the concert world does open up soon, there may be both psychological and physical barriers for fans looking to re-enter the fray.

Denmark and the UK have the highest percentage of people who are comfortable attending concerts. The easing of the lockdown has been delayed in the UK due to increases in the number of cases of the Delta variant - a delay that will reportedly lead to the cancellation of around 5,000 concerts over the next month across Britain. However, this doesn’t seem to bother the Brits as half of the population in the UK – 46% are comfortable attending music concerts and live events. In the US, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the end of most of New York’s remaining pandemic rules after the state reached 70% of adults with at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Live Nation Entertainment says venue booking for concerts are rebounding as artists have planned events that stretch into the next year. American fans seem to be responding to the excitement as a plurality of them (43%) say they are comfortable attending live shows once the lockdown measures ease and events open.

By contrast, more than half of the population in Australia (54%), the Philippines (53%) and nearly half of the population in Canada (48%) are uncomfortable about attending concerts.

The data by YouGov also highlights that half of the population in Australia (51%), Canada (50%) and the Philippines (53%) who are uncomfortable with attending concerts are scared that they’ll contact the virus and get severely unwell.

(YouGov UK)

July 01, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/articles-reports/2021/07/01/post-lockdown-are-people-comfortable-attending-per

697-43-22/Poll

Half (47%) Of Africans Went Without Enough Food During The Past Year

About half of Africans say they experienced food shortages at least once during the previous year, Afrobarometer survey data show. For about one in six, hunger was a frequent occurrence. As foreign affairs and development ministers at the Group of 20 (G-20) meeting in Italy this week pledged to fight hunger worldwide, a new Afrobarometer analysis shows that reductions in food deprivation in some surveyed countries are matched by worsening hunger in others. The level of food deprivation varies widely across countries, affecting almost eight in 10 citizens in Malawi, Niger, and Zambia. Citizens without formal education are more likely to report going without enough food than those with at least a primary education. Key findings

▪ On average across 32 countries surveyed in 2019/2021, more than half (53%) of respondents say they went without food at least once during the previous year. About one in six (17%) say this happened “many times” or “always,” while 21% say they went hungry “several times” (Figure 1). o Food deprivation was most prevalent in Malawi (79%), Niger (76%), and Zambia (75%), while Mauritians (10%) and Moroccans (15%) are least likely to report going hungry (Figure 2).

▪ Citizens with no formal education are 23 percentage points more likely than those with post-secondary education to say they went without sufficient food (61% vs. 38%) (Figure 3). ▪ On average across 28 countries surveyed consistently over the past decade, the proportion of citizens who went without enough food remains unchanged (Figure 4).

▪ But deprivation of food has almost tripled in Cabo Verde (from 25% to 72%) and increased drastically in Malawi (by 31 percentage points), Zambia (27 points), and Benin (15 points). o On the other hand, there have been sharp declines in food shortages in Cameroon (-29 percentage points), Tanzania (-23 points), Côte d’Ivoire (-14 points), Mali (-13 points), and Burkina Faso (-12 points).

(Afrobarometer)

2 July 2021

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release//news_release-half_of_africans_went_without_enough_food-afrobarometer-1july21.pdf