Inflation, not corruption, is the issue: poll

ISLAMABAD: A vast majority of Pakistani has identified economic problem, specifically inflation, as the biggest problem faced by the country, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

The study was released by Gilani Research Foundation and carried out by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International.

A press release issued by the foundation said they concluded that the economy was the major problem for the people after carrying out a survey of a nationally representative sample across the four provinces.

Fifty-three per cent of Pakistanis identified inflation as the biggest problem, while 23 per cent said unemployment was a major problem for the country. Only eight per cent of the people said that the Kashmir issue was the biggest problem, while four per cent of the people identified corruption as the major problem.

Nearly 3 in 4 Pakistanis (76%) are optimistic that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly will play a pivotal role in resolving the Kashmir issue.

Interestingly, the ruling party has always identified corruption as the root cause of the country’s problems, but if the poll is to be believed, then the people disagree with the Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf’s opinion.

The poll also shows that only four per cent of Pakistanis see the water crisis as the biggest problem and only two per cent say political instability is a major problem of the country.

One per cent of the population label electricity load-shedding and dengue virus as the biggest issue. The foundation said it carried out the study among 1,200 men and women in urban and rural areas of the country from October 7-20.