ISLAMABAD: Half of the country’s youth believes that Feb 8 general elections will be transparent, however, they also think that the upcoming polls will not affect their daily lives.

They have shown a lack of trust in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) but expressed faith in the armed forces as an institution.

These were the findings of a Voice of America (VOA) survey conducted by research company IPSOS.

In the survey titled ‘Political Participation and Landscape of Pakistani Youth’, 2,000 participants from 18 to 34 years of age, hailing from Islamabad and the four provinces, were interviewed.

Those who were interviewed include 59 per cent males and 41pc females. As many as 50pc hailed from rural areas and the other half belonged to urban areas.

The youth said that inflation was a major issue and they will cast the vote based on this issue. Majority of them were also in favour of sending the Afghan refugees back to their country.

Another interesting finding of the survey report was that the youth wanted pleasant relations with India. However they feared that the United States was capable to rig the upcoming general elections.

Trusted news sources

According to findings, there’s a division on whether media covers the issues that really matter. Two in five respondents thought it doesn’t.

TV, social media and word of mouth were considered the most preferred news sources by the youth. The female population expressed preference for TV more than males, while males preferred social media for news.

Social media usage had significant gender disparity with WhatsApp being the most-used social media platform by the youth. It was followed by Facebook, while Twitter, was used by only 8pc of the respondents.

Highest importance should be given to health and education in aided responses, as per youth. For them, the military’s interference in politics was of least importance. Three in four respondents believed elections will steer the country in the right direction, two in three expect the elections to be free and fair.

The report claimed that youth of Pakistan hardly stays informed or active in politics. Still, 70pc claimed they’d vote in the upcoming elections. From 2018 to 2024, one in five have switched their preferred party.

As many as three in five youngsters in Pakistan think political leaders do not understand their issues or priorities, sentiment is higher in females, rural, as well as in Islamabad.

When voting, the political party matters for youth more than the individual candidate. One in five will cast their vote for candidate irrespective of the party. Half of the Pakistani youth’s decision to vote is influenced by their families, more in case of females and the underprivileged.

Most don’t want to immigrate; those who want to are predominantly upper class men.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024