C T Online Desk: About 53.6% of Bangladeshis like India as a country, while 41.3% dislike it, according to a public opinion survey by VOA Bangla on Saturday.
The survey revealed that both India and Pakistan hold a positive image in Bangladesh.
People also have favourable opinions of other development partner countries.
The survey asked 1,000 respondents to rate certain countries on a scale of 1 to 5.
Scores of 1 and 2 were categorized as “liked,” and 4 and 5 as “disliked.”
About 59% of respondents rated Pakistan on the “liked” scale, while India scored 53.6%.
However, a notable difference was observed in the “disliked” scale: 28.5% disliked Pakistan, while 41.3% disliked India.
Among neighbouring countries, Myanmar was the most disliked, with 59.1% rating it on the “disliked” scale and only 24.5% on the “liked” scale.
Among other selected countries, the United States received the highest “liked” score (68.4%), followed by China (66%), Russia (64%), and the United Kingdom (62.7%).
The nationwide survey was conducted by ORG Quest Research Ltd under VOA Bangla’s editorial guidelines between October 13-27.
It was based on specific questions and conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews among 1,000 people aged 18 or older from eight divisions of the country.
The survey showed religious differences in opinions about India and Pakistan.
Among Muslim respondents, 44.2% disliked India, while only 4.2% of non-Muslims (Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists) disliked it.
On the “liked” scale, 50.7% of Muslim respondents favoured India, compared to 90.1% of non-Muslim respondents.
For Pakistan, 60.1% of Muslim respondents and 44.1% of non-Muslim respondents gave favourable ratings.
Age differences also played a role. Younger respondents preferred Pakistan over India, but respondents over 35 years old favoured India over Pakistan.
Among those aged 18-34, 47.8% liked India, and 49.3% disliked it.
For respondents over 35, 59.8% liked India, and 35% disliked it.
Again, 52% of male respondents liked India, compared to 64.4% who liked Pakistan. Among females, 55.3% liked India, and 53.2% liked Pakistan.
There was little difference in opinions between urban and rural respondents.
In urban areas, 50.4% liked India and 63.9% liked Pakistan. In rural areas, 54.7% liked India, while 57.3% liked Pakistan.
Overall, while India and Pakistan scored similarly on the “liked” scale, India had higher “disliked” scores.
Many attributed this to India’s perceived role in Bangladesh’s internal politics.
