Pakistan is gearing up for the general elections on February 8th, 2024, but the public seems to be largely indifferent to the political campaigns, as shown by a recent survey conducted by Gallup & Gillani Pakistan.
The survey, which was conducted from January 13th to January 18th, 2024, asked men and women across the country: Are there any banners, flags or posters of political parties in your locality or area for the 2024 elections?
The results were surprising: 44 percent of the respondents said that they did not see any signs of political activity in their vicinity for the upcoming elections. Only 13 percent of the respondents said that they saw a lot of banners, flags and posters of political parties in their area, while 20 percent said somewhat and 19 percent said very few. The remaining 4 percent did not give any answer or showed any interest.
The survey, which was carried out by Gillani Research Foundation with the assistance of Gallup International, affiliated with Gallup and Gillani Pakistan, covered 1015 men and women from rural and urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. The data was collected through phone interviews.
The survey indicates a lack of political enthusiasm and awareness among the Pakistani voters, who may not be motivated to participate in the democratic process. This could have implications for the electoral outcome and the legitimacy of the new government. The political parties need to step up their game and engage with the public more effectively, if they want to win their trust and support.