India has reported a notable rise in national optimism, climbing three percentage points in the May 2025 edition of the Ipsos ‘What Worries the World’ survey.
India is fourth on the global ranking of the optimism index, following closely behind Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The latest boost in national sentiment comes in the aftermath of “Operation Sindoor,” a military operation conducted earlier this month targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to the survey, 65 per cent of Indians surveyed believe the country is headed in the right direction, up from 62 per cent in the previous edition. The global average, in contrast, remains static at 37 per cent, with pessimism prevailing in much of the developed world. France, South Korea, and Peru occupy the bottom ranks, with fewer than one in five respondents in each country expressing confidence in their national trajectory.
The sudden rise in optimism in India coincides with the execution of Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7. Lasting approximately 25 minutes, the Indian military carried out precision strikes on nine terror sites – four in Pakistan and five in PoK. The operation neutralised over 100 terrorists and dismantled facilities linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups.
Following the strikes, Pakistan responded with drone and missile attacks on border areas, including Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Air raid sirens were triggered in cities such as Pathankot, Jaisalmer, and Chandigarh. India reported limited structural damage to military installations in Udhampur, Adampur, and Bhuj.
Public concern about terrorism surged in India following the deadly Pahalgam attack earlier in May, which saw 26 people die. In response, the Ipsos survey recorded an 11-point increase in Indians citing terrorism as a top issue of national concern, taking it to 26 per cent, the highest level recorded since October 2019.
This places terrorism just behind inflation (37 per cent) and unemployment (33 per cent) as India’s third-largest worry. The inflation and unemployment concerns saw marginal declines of 2 per cent each from the previous round. Other concerns among Indian respondents include crime and violence (25 per cent) and political or financial corruption (21 per cent).