Indians support greater govt role in regulating biz: Survey

New Delhi: Many Indians are in favour of the government doing more to control and own major industries in addition to having larger active role in regulating businesses, says a survey.

A global survey conducted by a media house has also found that Indians support the government having a larger role in redistributing wealth.

"Roughly one-third (35 per cent) favour their government doing more to control and own major industries, while 29 per cent favour it doing less and 19 per cent favour it doing the same as present," the report said.

About 39 per cent of the people in India support a "more active role" for the government in regulating businesses and 40 per cent are in favour of the government having a larger participation in redistributing wealth.

The survey is based on interviews of little over 29,000 citizens spread across 27 countries, including India, China, Australia, Canada, Pakistan, the UK and Japan. It was conducted by GlobeScan and its research partners for BBC World Service, between June 19 and October 13, 2009.

"Majorities would like their government to be more active in owning or directly controlling their country's major industries in 15 of the 27 countries," it added.

This view is widely held in the former Soviet states of Russia (77 per cent), and Ukraine (75 per cent), among others.

Moreover, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, dissatisfaction with "free market capitalism is widespread".