Ten percent ranked “religious majoritarianism” as the country’s most important challenge, according to the study. Terrorism and China were each ranked as the top issue by seven per cent of the respondents. Indian-Americans showed a liberal bent on many issues. A majority of Indian-Americans surveyed, 69 per cent, said they opposed the use of sedition and defamation laws to silence reporters critical of Modi. The National Register of Citizens, which is to identify “non-citizens”, was opposed by 55 per cent of the respondents.

Support for and opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, which prioritises citizenship for Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs fleeing persecution in neighbouring Islamic or Muslim majority countries, was almost evenly divided, with 51 per cent of those surveyed opposing it and 49 per cent supporting it. But 65 percent opposed the use of police force against those peacefully protesting the law. Fifty-three per cent of Indian-Americans surveyed said that “Hindu majoritarianism” is a threat to minorities in Indian, but 73 per cent said that “white supremacy” is a threat to minorities in the US. Nearly half the Indian-Americans surveyed said that they had suffered discrimination in the previous year, but there was a contrast between the first generation and second generations.

Among Indian-Americans who had immigrated to the US, 59 per cent said that they had not faced discrimination, but only 36 per cent born in the US denied running up against discrimination in the past year. Explaining the difference, the study said: “There are a host of plausible reasons why US-born Indian Americans might report greater discrimination, including differences in social norms, greater awareness of discriminatory practices, or less fear of retaliation.”