Gallup poll: Broadcasting of Indian channels sharply contested in Pakistan

42 per cent of Pakistanis opposed the broadcasting of Indian television channels; 43 per cent were in favor of it.

The broadcasting of Indian television channels on cable in Pakistan is sharply contested, with nearly half in favor of it and half opposing, said a recent poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan.

In a survey, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question:

Some people are in favour of Indian channels being shown on cable television while others are not. Are you in favour or against Indian channels being shown?

Forty-two per cent of Pakistanis opposed the broadcasting of Indian television channels and 43 per cent were in favor of it, while 15 per cent had no answer.

A detailed analysis of the study showed that more people from rural areas (around 46 per cent) opposed the broadcasting of Indian channels as compared to their urban counterparts (36 per cent). More men (45 per cent) were in opposition compared to women (39 per cent).

In a follow-up question, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question:

To what extent are the following television channels watched in your household?

Eighty four per cent of cable TV viewers claimed they watched Pakistani channels, 54 per cent said Indian channels and 26 per cent English channels.

Conspiracy theories

In another follow-up question, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question:

Some people believe that Indian channels are being shown on cable channels to keep public aloof of the national news whereas others say that they are being shown on public demand. What is your opinion?

More than half (51 per cent) of the respondents believed that Indian TV channels were being broadcast as a result of public demand, while 26 per cent were of the opinion that it was being done to distract the public. Twenty-three per cent gave no response.

A detailed analysis showed that more urbanites (56 per cent) believed that the channels were being broadcast on demand, as compared to rural dwellers (47 per cent).

The survey was carried out during among a sample of 2075 men and women with access to cable television, in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during February 2011.

Error margin is estimated to be approximately + 2-3 per cent at 95% confidence level.