On Friday, the Pew Research Center released the results of a survey of 24 high and middle-income countries, investigating their perspectives on Taiwan. Unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents from like-minded countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan and the US had favorable views toward Taiwan. However, the results pertaining to India have sparked confusion and perplexed many observers. It showed that 43 percent of Indian respondents held an unfavorable view of Taiwan, while just 37 percent held a favorable view of the country.
Pew polling data are widely considered credible and, most of the time, they are reliable sources for mapping perspectives on issues. This time, it seems the data were wildly wrong about Indians’ views of Taiwan. There could be two plausible explanations for the findings.
First, as outlined in the methodology information provided by the Pew Research Center, the survey’s sample pool was drawn from four prominent Indian cities: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai. The choice of these cities for the survey raises important concerns. One of the most significant of which is the omission of cities in the northern and northeastern parts of India.
This is particularly noteworthy, as residents in these regions might have a heightened awareness of the security implications associated with Taiwan. This is primarily due to the cities’ close proximity to China’s border.
To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the positive sentiment toward Taiwan and the unfavorable viewpoint on China, it would have been highly beneficial to sample people residing in states that share a border with China as well. They would likely yield a more accurate portrayal of how Indians truly perceive Taiwan.
It is crucial to recognize that India is far from homogenous, and considering the perception of people solely from the four cities Pew chose as representative of the entire country is erroneous.
Second, this finding can also be attributed more to a lack of awareness and ignorance about Taiwan rather than an accurate reflection of Indians’ genuine opinions. Generally, Indians have a tendency to maintain a favorable view of Taiwan. This is particularly remarkable given the evident camaraderie between Indian and Taiwanese civil societies, along with the interactions observed among people from the two countries on social media since 2020.
This sense of camaraderie is rooted in the deterioration of India’s and Taiwan’s respective ties with China. There is ample evidence supporting the idea that the Indians and Taiwanese have grown closer since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Indians on social media generally possess a reasonable understanding of Taiwan and recognize the country by its widely used name — Taiwan — some of those who are not active online lack a solid comprehension of what Taiwan is and where it is.
One plausible explanation for the Pew polling results could be that a significant portion of respondents might have mistakenly assumed they were being asked about the People’s Republic of China rather than the Republic of China. In the aftermath of the Galwan clashes between China and India, public perception in India has shifted against China and this could have contributed to the survey results.
It is crucial to approach this survey with skepticism and refrain from accepting its findings unquestioningly. Given that many Indians, particularly those not active on social media, might lack familiarity with Taiwan, the notion of them holding an “unfavorable” view of the country raises questions. When referring to such polling data, it is essential to remain mindful of the potential consequences that can arise from placing undue emphasis on the survey results. These surveys could be extensively cited and exploited by certain entities to construct a misleading narrative on India-Taiwan relations.
It is highly plausible that a lack of awareness about Taiwan among Indians was misinterpreted as unfavorable sentiment. This situation should act as a wake-up call for Taiwan and India, and highlight the necessity for their respective governments to enhance public diplomacy initiatives to foster greater awareness about each other.
An informed poll on public perceptions should be conducted by local organizations that are well-versed in the intricacies of both nations. It is about time we cease depending on foreign institutions to dictate our sentiments toward each other.
For what it is worth, in the context of interpreting the poll, the survey’s findings on India are as true and correct as The Economist’s proclamation of Taiwan being “the most dangerous place on Earth.”
Sana Hashmi is postdoctoral fellow at the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation and a fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations.
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