25pc people find inflation as worst news

KARACHI: The schools reopening following a long closure due to Covid-19 was described by a large majority of 62pc respondents of an opinion poll as the best news of 2021, while 25pc Pakistanis declared increasing inflationary trend as the worst news.

The Pulse Consultants Survey took an opinion poll about the best and the worst news of the year from 2000 people from Jan 13-21, 2022. Nearly 62pc of the respondents described reopening of schools as the best news of 2021, followed by six pc favouring cricket victories, five pc government’s measures, four pc of bringing Covid-19 under control, two pc introduction of corona vaccine, one pc Ehsas Programme, one pc ending of electricity load shedding, one pc debt repayment, one pc the news of Nawaz Sharif’s return and one pc considered ending of corona lockdown as the best news. While 16pc did not find any good news at all.

To the pollster’s query regarding the worst news of 2021, 25pc respondents termed increasing inflation as the worst news, 24pc closure of schools and loss of education, 19pc spread of Covid-19 pandemic, nine pc unemployment, nine pc market shut down, seven pc rise in petrol prices, six pc Murree tragedy, five pc increase in electricity tariff, two pc lockdown, two pc no business, two pc found everything to be bad, while one pc considered poverty, one pc poverty, one pc devaluing rupee, one pc incumbent government as the worst news of the year. However, 12 pc found nothing bad.