Operation Sindoor: India climbs global optimism index post-terror response, says survey

India has moved up three percentage points in national optimism, maintaining its fourth position globally, according to the May edition of the Ipsos What Worries the World survey. The rise closely follows ‘Operation Sindoor’, launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

The survey, which is conducted in 30 countries measures public sentiment on national direction and key concerns of the population. According to the survey, in India, about 65 per cent of respondents said the country is heading in the right direction, which is significantly up from 62 per cent the previous month. Evidently, it seems that the operation has strengthened confidence of the civilians in the armed forces.

Operation Sindoor Strengthens Public Confidence

Amit Adarkar, CEO of Ipsos India, said the handling of Operation Sindoor reinforced public trust in the government and armed forces. “It has shown that the administration is capable of tackling external threats in the interest of citizens and national security,” he noted.

The current optimism rating of India places is behind Singapore (77 per cent), Malaysia (69 per cent), and Indonesia (67 per cent). The other countries that are in the top tier include Argentina (56 per cent), Thailand (45 per cent), and Mexico (45 per cent). Most of the top-ranking countries are from the Global South. It also highlights that globally mere 37 per cent of citizens believe their countries are moving in the right direction.

The countries that featured in the bottom of the optimism index are Peru (9 per cent), South Korea (15 per cent), and France (19 per cent).

Terrorism Becomes a Rising Concern Post-Pahalgam Attack

According to the survey, terrorism has emerged as a growing concern in India following the Pahalgam incident. The survey recorded an 11-point rise in the number of Indians identifying terrorism as a key issue, which is up to 26 per cent, the highest since October 2019. The current ranking of terrorism is at the third position among other national concerns, following inflation (37 per cent) and unemployment (33 per cent).

Inflation and Unemployment Show Slight Decrease

Another interesting fact is that concerns about inflation and unemployment have shown a slight decrease, each dropping by two percentage points from the previous month. Other concerns for Indian respondents include crime and violence (25 per cent) and financial or political corruption (21 per cent). The survey was conducted between 7 to 10 May 2025.

Globally, the most cited concerns are inflation (33 per cent), crime and violence (33 per cent), poverty and social inequality (29 per cent), unemployment (27 per cent), and corruption (26 per cent).