• Ipsos survey finds only 22pc believe Pakistan is on the right path, a drop from a 40pc peak earlier this year
• Household spending comfort declines to 7pc, similar to levels seen during the pandemic

ISLAMABAD: Just two in 10 Pakistanis believe the country is heading in the right direction, a sharp decline driven by soaring inflation, rising unemployment and geopolitical anxieties, according to a fresh survey.

The poll, conducted last month by the market research firm Ipsos, reveals a rapid reversal of recent public optimism. Confidence in the country’s trajectory plummeted to 22 per cent after hitting a peak of 40pc earlier this year, returning to levels of pessimism largely unseen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Economic concerns dominate the national mood. The survey of more than 1,000 residents across Pakistan found that only one in five people believe the national economy is strong, and an equally small fraction — 20pc — expect the economic situation to improve.

“Expectations from the economy have declined as rising economic pressures drive a gradual return of pessimism,” the Ipsos report stated. “Personal financial optimism falls to 31pc amid weaker sentiment and continued sensitivity to geopolitical shocks such as US-Iran tensions.”

The financial squeeze is starkly reflected in daily spending habits. A mere 7pc of Pakistanis feel comfortable making routine household purchases, wiping out earlier gains made during a brief period of economic stabilisation.

Confidence in making major purchases remains exceptionally low at 5pc, while only 14pc of respondents expressed confidence in investing.

Job security has also suffered a significant blow. Only 17pc of workers feel se­­cure in their employment, erasing gains that had nearly doubled over the past two years.

Despite the overwhelming pessimism, the survey highlighted distinct demographic and regional divides. Optimism regarding the country’s direction and economic strength skewed slightly higher among men, the youth, rural residents and lower-middle-income groups.

Geographically, residents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan reported the highest levels of economic hopefulness.

The Ipsos survey involved face-to-face interviews with residents across all four of country’s provinces, as well as the capital territory of Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026