The Institute for Public Opinion Research on Sunday released the findings of a survey on performance of the PTI government during the first two years of its rule. 

The findings of the survey are based on the opinion of 200,000 people from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan aged 18 to 50. According to the survey, PTI government’s popularity has fallen by eight percent since the 2018 general elections. On the other hand, popularity of the main opposition party PML-N has increased by four percent. However, popularity of the PPP has remained static at 11 percent. 

According to the survey, the ruling PTI’s popularity has fallen from 32 percent in 2018 to 24 percent in 2020. Popularity of the PML-N has gone up from 24 percent in 2018 to 28 percent in 2020. At least 40 percent of the participants in the survey were of the view that PTI’s government’s performance will deteriorate further in the next three year of their rule. However, 31 percent of the participants said they were hopeful about improvement in PTI government’s performance in the next three years. 

A majority of the participants in the survey expressed their displeasure with government’s performance vis-à-vis price hike, unemployment, federal cabinet’s performance, corruption and U-Turns. At least 54 percent of Pakistanis expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s performance in terms of poverty, unemployment and inflation, while 38 percent of people praised the government’s policies. However, seven percent of the participants in the survey did not respond to this question. 

People generally described the Ehsaas Kafalat Programme, smart lockdown policy, accountability policy, government’s stance on Kashmir and its war on corruption as good measures. 

When asked who will they vote for in the next general elections, 28 percent of the participants said they would vote for the PML-N, 24 percent said PTI and 11 percent said the PPP. Two percent of the participants said they would vote for the JUI-F and TLP, while one percent of the voters said they would vote for the PML and the MQM-Pakistan. 

When asked which leader is capable of steering the country out of the crises, 28 percent of the participants said PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, 23 percent said Prime Minister Imran and eight percent said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.