American views of India edge up after 3-year slide, but become more divided along party lines: Survey

American views of India have recovered slightly after a steep three-year downturn, but they have become more divided along party lines, according to a new survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation America.

On a scale of 0-100, views of India among Americans overall rose to an average of 51, up from 47 in October 2025. The latter figure was the lowest recorded rating of India in polls collected by the Chicago Council since 2008, after several years of increasingly positive views of India.

At the same time, several other surveys have reported an uptick in negative sentiment towards India in the US. A Pew Research Centre survey this year found that 50% of Americans held an unfavourable view of India. Similarly, noted polling firm Gallup found India's favourability had fallen to 61% in 2026 from 77% in 2022.

The survey, which collected the views of over 2,000 US adults in July 2026, found that Americans over 60 tend to view India more favourably, with an average rating of 54.

However, the average positive rating of India among younger Americans aged 18 to 29 fell sharply from 55 in 2022 to 47 in 2026. The survey does not detail the reasons for this decline.

Fewer Americans now consider India an ally of the United States. While 21% of respondents saw India as an American ally in 2021, only 10% do so in 2026. However, a solid 41% continue to view India as a necessary partner with whom the US must cooperate strategically.

Few Americans saw India as a rival or an adversary.

A divide has also opened up along partisan political lines. In 2022, Democrats (55), Independents (55) and Republicans (52) all rated India above the midpoint. Today, Democrats rate India at 55 and Independents at 52, while Republicans sit at 47, slightly up from an all-time low of 43 last year.

Republicans are also more opposed to high-skilled immigration from India than Democrats and independents. 45% of Democrats and 37% of independents supported increasing visas for high-skilled Indian workers, compared to just 27% of Republicans. Unlike Democrats and independents,

Republicans also favoured placing additional tariffs on India for buying Russian oil by a 29-19 margin, although a solid 50% said they did not know enough to say. However, Republicans were more likely to back military cooperation with India to counter China's influence in Asia than Democrats and independents.

The survey also points to two broader trends. Americans who offered an opinion tended to favour policies that could promote closer ties with India: a plurality backed cutting tariffs on Indian goods through a trade deal (48% to 12%) and expanding technology cooperation (38% to 16%), and more opposed than supported additional tariffs on India over its Russian oil purchases (29% to 22%).

Yet many Americans appear unfamiliar with the relationship. More than a third said they did not know how to characterise US-India ties, and on most policy questions, a plurality said they did not know enough to say.

The survey's findings also coincide interestingly with more unfavourable views of America among Indians. A Pew Research survey in 2026 found that just 45% of Indians expressed positive views of America, down from 54% in 2025.