India’s mood has shifted. A sudden jolt of optimism has arrived—not through economic windfalls or policy reforms, but via a brief, clinical, and high-stakes military manoeuvre.
The Ipsos ‘What Worries the World’ survey for May 2025 shows that 65 per cent of Indians now believe their country is on the right track. That figure places India fourth globally in the optimism rankings, behind Singapore (77 per cent), Malaysia (69), and Indonesia (67). All four are part of a Global South quartet now consistently topping global sentiment tables.
The bump—a three-point rise from April—appears timed to the hour with Operation Sindoor. On May 7, in a swift and surgically coordinated action lasting just 25 minutes, India conducted precision strikes across nine locations: four in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The targets were not vague. India named them—Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen. The strikes reportedly neutralised over 100 operatives and destroyed infrastructure that had evaded previous attempts at dismantling. The message was loud, the strategy tight, and the public’s emotional response instant.
That same week, Pakistan retaliated with drone and missile strikes, prompting air raid sirens across Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir. Yet, India reported only limited damage to its military bases in Udhampur, Adampur, and Bhuj. The narrative domestically held: the government acted first, hit hard, and came away with little visible harm.
This combination—military success and domestic resilience—appears to have fed the public mood. National security has long been a potent rallying point in Indian politics, but this instance is unique. It wasn’t an election year crescendo, nor a prolonged campaign. It was brief. And it worked.
The survey reveals a sharp 11-point spike in public concern about terrorism, jumping from 15 to 26 per cent in just one month. That places terrorism as India’s third-biggest concern, behind inflation (37 per cent) and unemployment (33). The Pahalgam attack earlier in May, which killed 26 people, likely contributed to this shift. That incident, described by Indian officials as a deliberate provocation, was cited across television news channels and rapidly recontextualised in public discourse as justification for Sindoor.
There’s more going on than wartime approval. Both inflation and unemployment figures dropped slightly in the public’s mind—each falling two percentage points. Crime and violence (25 per cent) and political or financial corruption (21) follow closely. But none of these saw double-digit swings like terrorism.
It’s worth noting where the optimism is—and where it’s not. While the Global South largely paints a hopeful picture, developed economies are running low on morale. Only 19 per cent of the French public believes their country is moving in the right direction. South Korea, in the throes of political uncertainty and regional tension, sits at 15 per cent. Peru hits the bottom, with just 9 per cent of respondents expressing confidence in their national direction.
The Global North’s stagnation is partly economic, partly political, and heavily existential. Years of political churn, pandemic scars, sluggish productivity, and new geopolitical fragilities have left citizens doubtful and governments on the back foot. In contrast, many Global South countries—even those wrestling with inequality or institutional instability—have retained a public mood anchored in national pride, growth aspirations, and, when the moment allows, military showmanship.
India’s story fits that trend but carries a sharper edge. Optimism here is shaped as much by collective pride as by perception of strength. While macro indicators haven’t shifted radically—inflation remains a top concern, jobs are scarce—the mood has. Sometimes, sentiment beats spreadsheets.
The real test will come not in the aftermath of a 25-minute raid, but in the months that follow. Whether this optimism endures will depend less on India’s ability to strike targets across borders and more on its capacity to create jobs, tame prices, and preserve calm.
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