IPSOS survey finds concern over inflation, unemployment declining

KARACHI: Inflation and unemployment remain the topmost concerns of the nation, though a recent IPSOS survey has found a significant decline in the prevailing anxiety over them as compared to the last survey.

The IPSOS survey conducted in the first quarter of 2024 has found inflation bothering 51 percent of those surveyed. This is in contrast to an earlier survey of November 2023, where 53 percent of those surveyed had declared inflation as their major concern. In May 2023, those declaring inflation as a pinching issue were at around 58 percent. Since May 2023, there has been a seven per cent decline among those considering it a serious problem. IPSOS quizzed 1,000 people on the issues during the current survey.

Similarly, unemployment, which had left a higher number of those surveyed agitated at the time of the last poll, has dropped by four percentage points to 16pc as of now. The survey also found a two percent increase among those surveyed who expressed concern over rising poverty levels reaching seven percent now.

Other issues that attracted the concern of the survey sample saw a rise of 5 pc over cross-institutional interference while 4 pc were disturbed over power loadshedding, increase in prices, corruption, bribery, nepotism and substance adulteration. The IPSOS survey also found three pc of the survey sample expressing disquiet over bad enforcement of law and only one percent were found disturbed by the non-availability of water and demanded the government to address these issues.