Young Indians see Middle East as key to India’s future growth: Survey

A new survey by the Observer Research Foundation has found that young Indians overwhelmingly support a stronger response to cross-border terrorism and see the Middle East as central to India’s future economic ambitions.

The survey, titled Foreign Policy Survey 2025: Young India and the Middle East, was conducted across 19 Indian cities between October and November 2025. More than 5,000 Indians aged between 18 and 35 took part in the study.

One of the findings was the widespread support for Operation Sindoor and the government’s response after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. Respondents backed India’s retaliatory action against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and also supported the decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following the attack.

The report found that urban Indian youth continue to show high levels of confidence in India’s foreign policy and favour cooperation through multilateral institutions such as the United Nations. Many respondents also supported reforms to the UN Security Council, including India becoming a permanent member.

Cross-border terrorism from Pakistan and tensions with China were identified as the country’s biggest security concerns. At the same time, confidence in BRICS as an alternative to the West-led global order appeared to be growing.

Young Indians also identified the Middle East as a key driver of future growth, particularly through initiatives such as IMEEC and I2U2. The United Arab Emirates emerged as one of the region’s most positively viewed countries, with respondents backing closer economic cooperation between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.