Gallup ‘End of Year Poll’ highlights stark contrast in sentiment across South Asia
Pakistani rangers and Indian Border Security Force officers at the Pakistan-India joint checkpoint at the Wagah border near Lahore. Photo: Reuters
A new survey has revealed that Pakistanis have entered 2026 with significantly high expectations for economic prosperity and global peace compared to their Indian neighbors, defying global trends of pessimism.
The Gallup International Association’s ‘Year-End Poll’ highlights a stark contrast in sentiment across South Asia. While India shows greater overall hope for the new year, Pakistan outperforms its eastern neighbor on key measures of economic confidence and expectations of a more peaceful world.
Economic outlook
On the specific issue of economic prosperity, Pakistan stands out regionally. The survey found that 53% of Pakistani respondents believe 2026 will bring economic prosperity, compared to only 39% in India. This confidence is particularly notable in the global context, where the world average for economic optimism stands at just 24%.
The survey also examined the “net score” by subtracting the pessimists from the optimists.
In Pakistan, optimists outnumber fearful ones by 26 percentage points, while in India the advantage is much smaller: optimists outnumber pessimists by just 13 points.
“Economic sentiment in Pakistan is notably stronger than the global average and India, despite widespread global economic pessimism,” the report states.
hope for peace
Pakistan’s optimism extends beyond the economy to global stability. The survey found that 52% of Pakistanis expect the world to be more peaceful in 2026, a stark contrast to only 26% of Indian respondents. While Pakistan remains firmly in positive territory (+31%), India falls into negative territory, with pessimists outnumbering optimists by 9 points.
general hope
Despite Pakistan’s lead in economic and peace metrics, India maintains a stronger sense of overall hope for the year ahead.
When asked if 2026 would be “better” than 2025, 59% of Indians said yes, compared to 51% of Pakistanis. However, Pakistan’s optimism still exceeds the global average of 37%, reflecting a resilient outlook.
Drivers of optimism
The rise in Pakistani optimism is largely due to younger demographics. Optimism is most concentrated among people between 18 and 34 years old, while older age groups expressed more caution about the coming year.
The report noted that this year’s numbers represent one of the highest levels of optimism recorded since tracking began in 1994, comparable to peaks seen in the late 1990s and mid-2010s.
