As Pakistan prepares for national elections, the country's public mood is exceedingly grim. Roughly nine-in-10 Pakistanis believe the country is on the wrong track, and about eight-in-10 say the economy is in poor shape, according to a new survey of Pakistan by the Pew Research Center.
Meanwhile, concerns about extremist groups have increased markedly. More than nine-in-10 Pakistanis describe terrorism as a very big problem, and about half now say the Taliban is a very serious threat to their country. For the first time since the Pew Research Center began polling on these issues, the Taliban is essentially considered as big a threat to Pakistan as longtime rival India.
While worries about the Taliban are growing, there is almost no desire to see the US extend its fight against the group in neighbouring Afghanistan. Two-in-three Pakistanis say it is a good thing that the US plans to remove most of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014. At the same time, Washington's use of drones to target extremists in Pakistan is widely unpopular.
Overall, America's image remains extremely negative in Pakistan: Only 11 per cent give the US a favourable rating, and a similarly low number (10 per cent) express confidence in US President Barack Obama. Today, most Pakistanis (64 per cent) see the US as more of an enemy than partner. Meanwhile, fewer than one-in-10 Pakistanis say US economic assistance is having a beneficial effect on their country.
The face-to-face survey was conducted March 11-31 among 1,201 respondents. The sample covers approximately 82 per cent of the country's adult population. The survey also finds:
Political leaders:
Incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari receives negative reviews: 83 per cent express an unfavourable opinion of him. In contrast, two-thirds have a positive view of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. Six-in-10 also have a positive opinion about Imran Khan.
Military and other institutions:
Roughly eight-in-10 (79 per cent) think the Pakistani military, which for decades has been an important player in the country's politics, is having a positive influence on the nation. Solid majorities say religious leaders (69 per cent), the media (68 per cent) and the courts (58 per cent) are having a good impact on the country. Evaluations of the police are quite different: Only 23 percent believe the police are having a positive influence.
Extremist groups:
Extremist groups remain largely unpopular in Pakistan. Just 13 per cent express a positive view of Al Qaida, and 11 per cent say this about the Taliban. Lashkar-e-Taiba gets somewhat higher ratings - 24 per cent have a positive opinion of this group. Compared with last year, the percentage who consider the Taliban a very serious threat to Pakistan has increased significantly - 49 per cent now hold this view, up from 37 per cent.
National problems:
Pakistanis are concerned about a variety of national problems - especially crime and terrorism. Fully 95 per cent describe crime as a very big problem, and 93 per cent say the same about terrorism. Illegal drugs, political corruption, the situation in Kashmir, pollution, access to clean water and poor quality schools are considered very big problems by at least two-thirds of those polled.
Reprinted with permission from Pew Research Center
