Canadians see opportunity in India
Same poll finds wide gaps in knowledge in fundamental facts about subcontinent
As a three-day visit by India’s prime minister gets underway Tuesday, it appears Canadians could benefit from a social studies refresher when it comes to Asia’s rising superpower, according to a new poll.
The vast majority of Canadians would not be able to pick Prime Minister Narendra Modi out of a lineup. They also do not know that Islam is the second-largest religion in India after Hinduism, says the poll by the Angus Reid Institute.
That said, most Canadians recognize India as a fast-growing economy and believe the country’s growth is an “important opportunity” for Canada, with 58 per cent supportive of pursuing a free-trade agreement. However, they are more ambivalent about helping India develop its nuclear energy industry.
Sixty per cent of those polled disapprove of a Canada-India nuclear deal, which would see Canadian companies supplying India with uranium for its nuclear power plants. This suspicion could relate to the fact that Canada banned exports of uranium to India in the 1970s after India was accused of misusing nuclear fuel, said Shachi Kurl, senior vice-president at the institute.
“Though we didn’t specifically ask what Canadians’ concerns are in regards to a nuclear agreement, issues of security and risk of accident may loom large,” she said.
Since clinching power last May, Modi has signalled a desire to create a more hospitable climate for foreign business and investment.
But only half of survey respondents agreed that India could be counted on as a dependable ally. And when asked which of Asia’s two giants — India or China — Canada should put more effort into furthering relationships with, 58 per cent of respondents chose China.
This is not entirely surprising. In 2014, the total value of Canada’s export-import trade with China was $78 billion; it was $6 billion with India.
Still, 70 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they had a generally favourable view of India. Threequarters correctly identified India as a democracy and the same number viewed India’s economy as either growing rapidly or moderately.
But there were gaps in their knowledge.
Only 22 per cent of respondents could identify Modi when shown his photo.
They also were unclear about India’s religious makeup. While 88 per cent correctly said Hindus formed one of the two largest religious groups, only 25 per cent correctly chose Muslims as forming the other group. (Thirty-eight per cent chose Sikhs and 33 per cent chose Buddhists).
When asked what descriptors were top of mind when they thought about India, respondents picked “massive population” (68 per cent) and “dangerous place for women” (46 per cent) over “world’s largest democracy” (12 per cent) and “economic powerhouse” (seven per cent).
Protesters have vowed to call attention to the abuse of religious minorities in India during Modi’s visits to Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, and it appears they may have a sympathetic ear. Fifty-two per cent of those surveyed said they disagreed when asked if India respects the personal freedoms of its own people.
As of the 2011 census, there were 1.2 million Canadians of Indian heritage. Fifty-two per cent of those surveyed in the Angus Reid poll said they had a personal relationship with an Indo-Canadian. The numbers were even higher in B.C. and Alberta.
“Canadians who know one or more Indo-Canadians … are much more likely to have a favourable overall view of the community” and are “much more enthusiastic about the economic opportunities India offers,” the pollster said in its report.
The online survey was conducted April 8 to 10 among 1,475 Canadian adults.
A probability sample of this size carries a margin of error of plusor-minus 2.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.