The study noted that overall the “thermometer rating” for the Republican Party at 42 and for former President Donald Trump at 37 nearly parallels the ratings for the Congress Party and Gandhi. The survey found “striking” occupational differences in the support for Modi: 61 per cent of engineers and computer scientists back him, while the support falls to 48 per cent among others.

In contrast to the attitudes to Modi personally, more Indian-Americans, 39 per cent, believe that India is on the wrong track, while 36 per cent said it is on the right track, according to the study. US-born Indian-American immigrants showed a more negative view of India, with 44 per cent saying it was on the wrong track, while 26 per cent who were immigrants shared the view.

But the study found a big contrast in the attitude to the US in the survey conducted before the US elections, and the current COVID-19 surge: 67 per cent reported that the US is on the wrong track, while just 33 per cent believed it is on the right track. Corruption was ranked by the Indian-Americans surveyed as the top problem for India with 18 per cent listing it and the economy came next with 15 per cent naming it.