Findings of survey highlight a significant disconnect between public priorities, allocation of public resources
Rising energy and fuel prices, the growing national debt and drug abuse emerged as the biggest concerns among Pakistanis, while public trust in state institutions remained relatively low, according to the National Citizen Survey 2026 released on Monday.
The nationwide survey, conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), sought to measure the gap between citizens’ priorities and federal spending.
According to a joint press release by IPOR and PILDAT, the survey interviewed 5,155 voting-age citizens through face-to-face, in-home interviews between August 23 and September 5. It covered all four provinces, rural and urban populations, as well as different age, gender and income groups. The survey had a reported margin of error of ±1.55%.
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According to the findings, electricity and gas prices were cited as the biggest national concern by 19% of respondents, while another 10% identified rising fuel and petrol prices as their primary concern.
The findings also showed widespread concern over Pakistan’s growing debt burden. About 66% of respondents said the rising national debt was a matter of concern, including 49% who described it as “extremely concerning”. Only 5% viewed the debt situation positively.
Drug abuse emerged as another major concern, with 79% of respondents describing rising drug use as “extremely dangerous”. Overall, 90% expressed serious concern over the issue.
The survey also found considerable scepticism about reporting on Pakistan by foreign-funded NGOs and think tanks. Some 43% of respondents said such reporting was either exaggerated or driven by a foreign agenda, compared with 25% who considered it fact-based.
Social media and unregulated internet use also came under scrutiny. According to the survey, 56% of respondents believed unrestricted internet and social media use was a major factor behind what they perceived as a decline in social and moral values.
However, the survey found differences between generations over the extent to which internet and social media should be regulated.
Despite widespread perceptions about corruption in government departments, only 18% of respondents said they had personally been asked for a bribe by a government official during the preceding year.
Around 77% said they had not experienced such a demand.
The survey also measured public confidence in state institutions, with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recording the highest levels of complete trust among the institutions tested.
About 33% of respondents said they had complete trust in the FIA, while 23% expressed complete trust in NAB.
Parliament received complete trust from 15% of respondents, while the Revenue Department recorded 13%.
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The survey also highlighted difficulties faced by people seeking to establish and operate businesses in Pakistan. As many as 91% of respondents said they found it difficult to start and operate a business in the country. Taxation was identified as the single biggest barrier.
The survey organisers said the findings highlighted a significant disconnect between public priorities and the allocation of public resources, particularly at a time when households were facing mounting cost-of-living pressures.
The National Citizen Survey 2026 was presented as Pakistan’s first nationwide public opinion survey specifically designed to examine the relationship between citizen priorities and federal budget allocations.
