NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Only 47% of Indians say Washington interferes in other countries’ affairs, compared with overwhelming majorities across most other middle-income nations — and 83% of Americans themselves
India stands out sharply from other middle-income countries in a new Pew Research Center survey examining perceptions of American involvement in the affairs of other nations.
While majorities in 16 of the 17 middle-income countries surveyed believe the United States interferes in other countries’ affairs “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” India is the sole exception.
In India, 47% of adults said the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries. Thirty percent said it does not, while a substantial 23% did not answer the question. Thus, while Indians who expressed an opinion were more likely to perceive U.S. interference than not, the figure remained below the 50% mark and well below levels recorded in most of the other countries surveyed.
The contrast is particularly striking because perceptions of American interference are widespread elsewhere in the developing and emerging world.
In 12 of the 17 middle-income nations surveyed, roughly three-quarters or more of adults said the U.S. interferes in other countries’ affairs. Thailand registered the highest level, with 81% holding that view.
That puts India at the opposite end of the spectrum: Even though nearly half of Indians see Washington as interfering abroad, Indians are significantly less likely to hold that view than people in most comparable countries.
The findings are part of Pew Research Center’s 2026 Global Attitudes Survey, which polled 42,151 adults across 36 countries between Feb. 8 and May 13. The larger study examined global attitudes toward the United States, President Donald Trump and America’s role in world affairs.
Americans More Likely Than Indians to See U.S. Interference
Perhaps one of the survey’s most striking comparisons is between India and the United States itself.
An overwhelming 83% of Americans said their own country interferes in the affairs of other nations — nearly twice the 47% recorded in India.
Although Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to hold this view, majorities on both sides of the American political divide agreed that the U.S. interferes abroad at least a fair amount.
Pew noted that it was the only one of four questions about America’s international role on which majorities of U.S. partisans agreed. The other questions dealt with whether the United States contributes to global peace and stability, takes other countries’ interests into account and can be considered a reliable partner.
The broader survey paints a more critical picture of U.S. foreign policy internationally. Across the 36 countries outside the United States, a median of 63% said America does not contribute to peace and stability around the world, compared with 35% who said it does. A median of just 32% said the U.S. takes the interests of countries like theirs into account when making foreign policy decisions.
Younger Adults More Critical in Several Countries
The perception of American interference also varies by age and gender.
In several countries, younger adults were more likely than older people to say the U.S. interferes in other nations. The pattern was particularly evident in Latin America. In Mexico, for example, 79% of adults ages 18 to 34 said the U.S. interferes, compared with 63% among those 50 and older.
Gender differences appeared in 13 of the 17 middle-income countries, with men more likely than women to perceive U.S. interference. In Ghana, 66% of men held that view compared with 56% of women. Pew noted, however, that women were also less likely to answer the question in many countries.
The finding does not mean Indians broadly believe the U.S. does not interfere: only 30% explicitly took that position. But it does show that India is markedly less inclined than its middle-income peers to characterize America’s international role in those terms.
