Opinion survey: ‘Unemployment, energy shortage biggest issues’

PML-N’s vote bank stagnant while PPP’s has declined.

ISLAMABAD:

There is a consensus among Pakistanis that unemployment and energy shortage are the two biggest economic issues facing the country. They are also equally opposed to drone strikes and the presence of foreign militants, according to the findings of a survey unveiled on Tuesday.

“Political Barometer: A Study of Socio-Political Preferences of People of Pakistan,” an opinion survey, jointly conducted by Herald Pakistan and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in 54 districts was launched at a local hotel.

SDPI Executive Director Abid Sulehri said the survey was an academic exercise to gauge the level of consensus on issues such as law and order, corruption, poverty, extremism, education, health, economic and foreign policies. Aiming to reach about 1,000 respondents, stratified sampling was used to integrate various demographic elements into the survey which was carried out in 52 districts and two tribal agencies by 100 interviewers.



Sulehri said 29 per cent of registered voters intended to vote for PPP whereas 24.7 per cent pledged support for PML-N and 20.3 per cent for PTI. Survey findings indicate PTI  derives support from all ages, dispelling the notion that its vote bank is concentrated in the younger generation, he added. “Looking at these results and voting histories, the PML-N’s vote bank appears to be stagnant while the PPP’s seems to have declined significantly, whose voters appear to be shifting towards PTI.”

Around 66 per cent of the respondents believe Balochistan gets the least attention from the federal government, while 42 per cent of respondents believe interprovincial relations are disharmonious, but they are divided about the creation of new provinces.



SDPI Deputy Executive Director Dr Vaqar shared socioeconomic trends of the survey and said majority of the respondents supported increased spending on education and health while making a substantial cut in the defence budget. They also termed the military as the strongest institution, while the judiciary came second.

He said 57 per cent strongly opposed drone strikes while they considered the presence of foreign militants on Pakistani soil as a violation of sovereignty. China was the most popular country and the respondents also called for stronger ties with Islamic and Saarc countries with 88 per cent and 74 per cent support respectively, he added.

Sulehri said society was getting more radicalised and it could be gauged from the fact that 53 per cent want the government to promote hijab, 30 percent consider honour killing acceptable. Around 26 per cent want the government to ban women working alongside men and 19 per cent want a ban on women contesting elections and taking parts in sports, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2013.