The TLDR: A significant survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals a citizenry deeply wedded to both faith and religious tolerance. But that liberal worldview is marred by hard lines of religious difference which breed segregation and suspicion. And yes, there is a clear North-South divide.

Researched by: Sara Varghese and Vagda Galhotra 

About that survey…

Titled ‘Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation’, the survey conducted 30,000 face-to-face interviews of adults in 17 languages between late 2019 and early 2020. The sample ranged across 26 states and 3 union territories—and included 22,975 Hindus, 3,336 Muslims, 1,782 Sikhs, 1,011 Christians, 719 Buddhists and 109 Jains. 

Point to note: India is home to the majority of the world’s Hindus (615.59 million), Jains (3.3 million) and Sikhs (14.42 million)—and also to one of the world’s largest Muslim population (97.69 million) and to millions of Christians (18.51 million) and Buddhists (5.65 million).

Religion really, really matters

We are a deeply religious nation. Of those surveyed, 84% of all Indians firmly believe that religion plays an important part in their life—and 94% are proud to be members of their faith. At 77%, Christians are most likely to pray every day—compared to 45% of Sikhs and 38% of Buddhists. That said, nearly all Indians say they believe in God (97%), and roughly 80% of people in most religious groups say they are absolutely certain that God exists.

The least religious: South India, where only 69% consider religion to be important and only 37% pray every day.

The survey sums up the big picture:

“Despite rapid economic growth, India’s population so far shows few, if any, signs of losing its religion… And religion is prominent in the lives of Indians regardless of their socioeconomic status. Generally, across the country, there is little difference in personal religious observance between urban and rural residents or between those who are college educated versus those who are not.”

Point to note: A YouGov survey from 2019 shows some generational differences. Young urban millennials (58%) and Gen Z kids (53%) are least likely to consider religion as important. Then again, around the world, people tend to become more religious as they age.

Food matters: We take dietary rules very, very seriously:

“Nearly three-quarters of Hindus (72%) in India say a person cannot be Hindu if they eat beef. That is larger than the shares of Hindus who say a person cannot be Hindu if they do not believe in God (49%) or never go to a temple (48%). Similarly, three-quarters of Indian Muslims (77%) say that a person cannot be Muslim if they eat pork, which is greater than the share who say a person cannot be Muslim if they do not believe in God (60%) or never attend mosque (61%).”

Religion as difference: But that deep faith also creates clear lines of separation: 66% of Hindus see themselves as different from Muslims—and 64% of Muslims reciprocate that sentiment. OTOH, about half of Sikhs say they have a lot in common with Hindus. But only 20% of Hindus feel the same way about Sikhs. Of the lot, Jains most keenly feel that they are different from all others—except, of course, for Hindus.  

Point to note: A 2017 Ipsos survey showed that 70% of Indian believe that religion defines them as a person. More interestingly, a whopping 46% agreed with this statement: “I lose respect for a person when I find out they are not religious.” 

A liberal India

Here’s the very good news:

“Across the country, most people (84%) say that to be ‘truly Indian,’ it is very important to respect all religions. Indians also are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community (80%). People in all six major religious groups overwhelmingly say they are very free to practice their faiths, and most say that people of other faiths also are very free to practice their own religion.”

And despite the previous data about hard lines of separation, there are heart-warming stats about the syncretic nature of our beliefs:

“Not only do a majority of Hindus in India (77%) believe in karma, but an identical percentage of Muslims do, too. A third of Christians in India (32%) – together with 81% of Hindus – say they believe in the purifying power of the Ganges River, a central belief in Hinduism. In Northern India, 12% of Hindus and 10% of Sikhs, along with 37% of Muslims, identity with Sufism, a mystical tradition most closely associated with Islam.”

Point to note: In a 2019 Lokniti survey, 76.2% of respondents agreed that India belongs equally to citizens of all religions. So secularism isn’t exactly dead—contrary to what we may see or read in the news. 

A counter-intuitive fact: Now, 53% of all Indians believe that our diversity benefits the country—compared to 24% who think it is harmful. But here’s what’s fascinating:

“Even though Hindu BJP voters who link national identity with religion and language are more inclined to support a religiously segregated India, they also are more likely than other Hindu voters to express positive opinions about India’s religious diversity. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of this group… say religious diversity benefits India, compared with about half (47%) of other Hindu voters.”

An important reminder: We seem to prize religious freedom above all others. In a previous Pew survey, 78% of Indians placed freedom to practice one’s faith at the very top of their list—compared to a dismal 32% who valued freedom of speech. This may explain why we are so quick to both be offended and ban anything that offends anyone. 

A divided India

Ok, so here’s the bad news:

One: We are extremely clannish: 70% of all respondents said that most or all of their close friends belonged to their own caste. Only 13% have a diverse circle of friends. Also: “large majorities in the six major groups say their close friends come mainly or entirely from their own religious community. That’s true not only for 86% of India’s large Hindu population, but also for smaller groups such as Sikhs (80%) and Jains (72%).”

Two: Hindus do not love their Muslim neighbour. A significant 36% would not accept one moving in next door. Close on their heels, Sikhs at 33%. The most resistant: Jains at 54%. In comparison, Muslims are far more tolerant. Only 16% would not accept a Hindu neighbour—compared to 26% who would be opposed to a Sikh or a Jain. The most tolerant of the lot: Christians and Buddhists.

Three: 99% of Indians marry within their faith. And vast majorities want to keep it that way:

“Roughly two-thirds of Hindus in India want to prevent inter-religious marriages of Hindu women (67%) or Hindu men (65%). Even larger shares of Muslims feel similarly: 80% say it is very important to stop Muslim women from marrying outside their religion, and 76% say it is very important to stop Muslim men from doing so.”

This chart sums up the deep-seated insularity—with Christians offering a heartening exception:

Point to note: 56.5% felt it was important to ban inter-faith marriages in a 2004 Lokniti survey. And there isn’t much evidence that we’ve made much progress since. And as this Pew survey also shows, that mindset extends to caste: 

“Of those surveyed, 64% said that it was very important to stop women in their community from entering inter-caste marriages, and a similar share (62%) said that stopping men in their community from marrying into other castes was very important. The shares of Dalits and members of general category castes responded in equal numbers in emphasising their view that inter-caste marriages should be stopped.”

Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan

Hindus closely link religion and language to national identity—with 64% saying it is important to be Hindu to be “truly Indian.” Another 59% say the criteria also includes being able to speak Hindi. Very unsurprisingly, 49% of Hindus voted for the BJP in 2019. And the percentage who fall into all three of the above categories: 30%.

But, but, but: There is a crystal-clear regional divide. Only 42% of South Indians think it is important to be Hindu, and a mere 27% emphasise the importance of speaking Hindi. Only 19% of South Indian Hindus voted for the BJP. And the percentage who fall into all three of the above categories: a piddling 5%. 

The most Hindutva of the lot: Central India, as is clear in the chart below:

Point to note: 57.5% of respondents in a 2019 Lokniti survey viewed Hindus as highly nationalist. The percentage for Sikhs (36.9%), Muslims (26.5%) and Christians (24.5%) were significantly lower.

Reading list

You can check out the ten big data points or the entire report over at Pew Research. Article 14 and The Hindu tease out some key insights. BBC News drills down on the interfaith marriage data. Hindustan Times offers an extended analysis of the results.