Indian Americans are upbeat and predict that India will be the world’s leading economic power.
Our Bureau
Washington DC
A recent study by the Pew Research Center has brought out an astonishing fact that 33% of Indian Americans are willing to return to their country of origin, while 76% have a favorable opinion about India. This study co-authored by Neil G. Ruiz, Carolyne Im, Christine Huang, and Laura Silver, traces how immigrants in the US feel about their homelands in Asia.
Among the 7 origin groups highlighted in the study, the difference is largest in views of India said the co-authors. 76% of Indian adults have a favorable opinion of India, as compared with 23% of other Asian adults, a huge gap of 53%. 33% of Asian Americans have favorable views of India, 41% report a neutral view and 23% view it unfavorably.
When questioned whether they would ever move to India, 33% of Indian adults say they would, compared with 65% of Indian adults who say the opposite. Immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less time are particularly likely to be open to moving back relative to those who have been in the U.S. for longer (87% vs. 73%). Foreign-born Indian adults are more likely than those born in the U.S. to say they would move to India (36% vs. 14%). Almost all US-born Indian adults prefer to say that they would not move to India (85%).
Out of the third of Indian adults who say they would move to India, about half say the main reason for the move is to be closer to loved ones, 12% cite a lower cost of living, 7% cite more familiarity with Indian culture, 6% cites more job opportunities, and another 6% cites better elder care as the main reason to move there.
As per the study, Indian adults are upbeat in saying that India will be the world’s leading economic power, with 15% holding this view while no more than 2% of any other origin group highlighted the same.
