Ban on Wedding Meals Welcomed                                                                              Back

The subject of wedding meals and the government’s ban on them has received a lot of attention in the past few years. In order to assess the effectiveness of these restrictions and their consequent impact on the expenses of the people, Gallup Pakistan conducted a comprehensive survey in 2006 on the subject. It was during this time that the government was trying to enforce the ban more strictly.

In response to the question, ‘Do you favor or oppose the idea of making wedding meals one-dish?’, 68% of the respondents claimed that they were in favor of such a directive and hence 32% were against the idea of making wedding meals a one-dish affair. 

When faced with the question, ‘The ban on serving meals on weddings is being enforced more strictly these days. Do you support or oppose this ban?’, 58% of the people extended their support while 42% asserted that they were against these restrictions. At the same time, however, only 12% were of the view that the prohibition was being enforced strictly, 54% were of the opinion that it was being enforced somewhat and 34% stated that it was not being implemented at all.

47% of the people also believed that the ban on wedding meals had reduced the average expenditure on weddings, 17% were of the view that the expenses on weddings had only increased and 35% felt that there had been no change. When asked about the specific wedding functions in which meals should be served, 33% said that meals should be allowed on mehndis, 65% favored the serving of food on barats and 73% wanted the government to lift the ban on serving complete meals on valimas.

These figures suggest that most of the people are in favor of this ban. This restriction, if enforced properly, could make life easier for a lot of people and decrease the average expenditure on weddings. Unfortunately, however, the government seems to have been unsuccessful in implementing this law more strictly. Some people seem to have found ways to work around it, such as serving very heavy teas and wholesome snacks, negating the principle behind this decree and completely nullifying whatever minor impact it was having on the society.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

No to Basant                                                                                                                 Back

When conducting surveys relevant to the lifestyles and attitudes of the people, Gallup Pakistan also incorporates questions about the local festivals and celebrations. The Basant festival, a very old and popular tradition in the country, has been the focus of discussions for some time now. The following summarizes Gallup’s findings on the issue.

The Basant festival is generally celebrated in February or March every year and preparations for this event are at their peak at the start of the year. Last year, that is, in 2006, however, the government imposed a ban on kite-flying.

In a survey conducted in early 2006, the respondents were asked about their opinions on Basant. 18% of the people said that they supported the celebration of Basant, 52% expressed their disapproval of this festival and the remaining, standing at 30%, stated that they were indifferent to the whole issue. Similarly, 61% of the respondents said they were in favor of the restriction placed by the government on the celebration on Basant while 38% opposed this ban. In response to a similar question, the majority of the people, that is, 73% described the ban on kite flying, and on Basant in general, to be a good decision, 18% viewed it as bad and 9% said that they did not know. However, only 20% considered this ban to be very effective and 43% were of the opinion that it was somewhat effective while 37% thought that it had not been influential at all. 2% did not offer a definite opinion.

The people were also asked about their personal interest in kite flying in this survey. Only 9% of those questioned revealed that they had a lot of interest in kite flying. 29% had some interest in the sport and 62% were not at all attracted by this activity. Furthermore, 37% of the people stated that they themselves or someone in their family had had the opportunity to fly kites in that season while 63% said that no one from their family had engaged in this activity.

The results generated by a similar survey in 2007 indicate no significant changes. 18% of the people said that they were in favor of the celebration of Basant, 57% were against this festival and 25% stated that they were indifferent. When questioned about the removal of the ban on kite flying and on the celebration of Basant by the government of Punjab in early 2007, only 25% said that they supported the lifting of the ban. The majority, standing at 57%, viewed the government’s decision as a poor one and 18% said that they did not know. Similarly, 58% of the respondents were in favor of a restriction on Basant as compared to 42% who expressed their disapproval of such a ban.

Several deaths, especially of children, were reported during the Basant celebrations in spring of 2007. The people reacted very strongly when this issue was raised in the survey and 86% of the people strongly expressed their disapproval of the celebration of this festival in such circumstances. 7% believed that Basant should be celebrated nevertheless and another 7% stated that they were not sure.

The people were questioned about their personal interest in kites flying in 2007 as well. In response, 12% of them asserted that they had a very keen interest in the sport, 32% found it somewhat appealing and 56% said that they had no interest in kite flying. 28% also told Gallup that either they themselves or someone else from their family had taken part in this activity in the last season as opposed to 72% who stated that not one from their family had engaged in this sport lately.

The data cited above serves as proof for the government’s initial decision to ban the celebration of Basant and kite flying being the correct one. It seems unfair to let innocent people die just so that the minority of the people can enjoy a very extravagant and mostly, wasteful sport. In fact, the sport itself is not very harmful; it is the hype that it receives in Basant every year that makes it dangerous. At the same time, the legal institutions must remember that simply making the correct law is not enough. The government must ensure that all its restrictions are imposed most strictly if it can ever hope to bring about a change.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

Corruption on the Rise                                                                                                Back

Every new government that takes over the control of the country remembers to quote the problems of corruption for the benefit of the people. Most of them even go further and extend the promise of eradicating it from the society. So far, however, no such government has been able to fulfill its pledge. Gallup Pakistan has conducted several surveys and polls on the subject.

In a survey conducted in 2005, the people were asked to name the institutions that they viewed as very corrupt. 51% mentioned the police, 25% named the judiciary, 32% indicated towards political system, 31% identified the bureaucracy and 16% pointed towards the forces.

In response to the question, ‘Compared to the rest of the world, do you think Pakistani leaders are more corrupt or less corrupt?’, asked in early 2006, 63% of the respondents stated that our national leaders were more corrupt,  34% considered them to be less corrupt and 3% stated that they did not know.

Gallup Pakistan also conducted a detailed survey on corruption towards the end of 2005. 50% of the people included in that survey were of the opinion that the level of corruption had increased in the country in the past five years, 16% believed that it had declined and the remaining, standing at 34%, were of the view that there had been no change.

In response to a similar question put forward in that poll, 39% of the respondents stated that there had been a significant increase in corruption over the last three years, 26% said that it had increased somewhat and 16% believed that there had been no change. On the other hand, 8% thought that it had declined somewhat and only 1% felt that there had been a considerable decline in corruption in the last three years.  10% said that they did not know. Neither did the respondents seem very optimistic about the future. 30% were convinced that the rate of corruption would exhibit a significant increase in the next three years, 25% believed that it would increase somewhat and 16% predicted that there would be no change. 5% were of the opinion that there would be some decline in corruption and only 2% asserted that it would decrease considerably. 22% said that they had no idea.

When probed in more detail about the effect of corruption on their lives, 17% of the respondents revealed that corruption had affected their daily lives, 6% stated that it had influenced their business and 5% were of the view that it had affected the political structure of the country. 15% of the respondents told Gallup that they or someone in their family had been forced to offer bribes in order to get their work done in the past one year, 66% had been saved from such a situation and 19% did not offer a response. Amongst those who had bribed someone, 30% had paid less then Rs. 500, 35% had paid between Rs. 500-2000, 8% had given between Rs. 2000-3000 and 7% had forfeit Rs 3000-6000.  2%, 2%, 1% and 2% of the people had paid between Rs. 6000-9000, Rs. 9000-12000, Rs. 9000-18000 and Rs. 18000-30000 respectively. 2% refused to identify the amount that they had given and another 7% offered no response. When inquired about the reasons behind their offering a bribe, 23% said that they had paid simply because they were asked to do so, 28% had done so to avoid possible problems and another 28% had used bribes to obtain legal benefits.

When asked to list the specific sectors which were being corroded by this menace, 47% named customs, 42% mentioned law and order, 28% pointed towards education, 35% highlighted tax collection, 32% pointed towards the utility bills department, 61% listed police, 38% identified political parties and 29% chose the parliament. 31%, 29% and 24% of the people named hospitals, license and registration departments and the private sector respectively. Similarly, 20% identified the media, 21% pointed towards the army, 19% specified NGOs and 14% mentioned religious organizations.

Given these figures, one does not need any other proof to reach the conclusion that corruption and dishonesty have plagued almost all the sectors of the government and the economy, making the lives of ordinary people very difficult. Bribery has become commonplace and this government, just like the previous ones, has failed to do anything about this critical problem. The people seem to have lost all hope in a better future and are already anticipating the worst.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

Masses Divided on the Subject of New Years’ Celebrations                                       Back

Globalization and the almost excessive exchange of information have ensured that the world is shrinking with each passing day. People today are not only willing to accept and understand the traditions and festivals of other cultures but are also happy to adopt them. This is particularly true of the West, whose ideologies and culture have affected everyone.

One Western tradition that has now become global is the celebration of New Years’. The following is a summary of Gallup Pakistan’s findings on the subject of New Years’ celebrations in Pakistan.

At the beginning of the year 2006, when presented with the question, ‘Some people celebrate the New Year while others consider such celebrations to be un-Islamic. Do you think Muslims should celebrate the new year?’, 45% of the people said that the New Year should be celebrated fervently while the majority, standing at 55%, were against this idea. Similarly, 25% of the respondents stated that they supported the celebration of the New Year, 40% were opposed to such activities and 25% claimed that it made no difference.

When asked how they spent their New Year, 12% asserted that they started the New Year with prayers, another 12% welcomed it by greeting friends and 61% did not offer a definite response. 52% of those questioned also told Gallup that they wished their friends on New Years’, 8% especially called their loved ones, 3% gave their friends presents, 3% visited their friends and relatives and 1% invited others over to their house. 30%, on other hand, said that they did not know.

A similar poll was conducted in January 2007. In response to the question, ‘Are you in favour of or against the celebration of New Year?’, 32% stated that they were in favour of celebrating New Years’ as compared to 46% who expressed their disapproval of such celebrations. 22%, on the other hand, claimed that they were indifferent to the whole issue. Similarly, the respondents were asked to describe the ways in which they welcomed the New Year.  5% asserted that they welcomed the New Year with prayers, 10% gave presents to their loved ones, 8% said that they were busy celebrating Eid and 9% stated that they just carried on with their day to day routine. 29% said that they did not do anything special and 17% did not offer a definite response.

A comparison of the figures cited above shows that there has been no significant change in the attitudes and beliefs of the people over the last two years. The people still seem to be deeply divided over the issue of celebrating New Years’. Some of them consider it to be a fun activity while others have labeled it as un-Islamic. At the same time, however, the simple fact that a large proportion of the people have adopted this tradition is an indication of the impact of the Western culture on our society.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

Load Shedding!!                                                                                                            Back

Load shedding and electricity shut downs in the summers have become a norm for the people in Pakistan. The problem of lack of adequate power supply is a persistent one and this year has been no different. Gallup Pakistan has always tried to incorporate questions relevant to this subject in its weekly polls and surveys.

In a survey carried out in the summer of 2006, the people were asked about the extent of the problem of load shedding in their localities. The majority of the people, that is, 74% said that it was a very grave problem, 24% stated that it was somewhat serious and only 2% claimed that load shedding was not a problem in their area. Similarly, 56% of the people asserted that the light went out daily in their area, 24% revealed that load shedding occurred once a week where they lived and 8% stated that electricity went out once or twice a month in their area. Another 8% claimed that they rarely faced this problem and 3% told Gallup that the electricity was never shut down in their locality.

When asked about the possible reasons for this predicament, 35% blamed the ‘inefficient’ WAPDA, 22% thought that it was due to lack of water, 20% believed that it was because of broken lines and 19% were of the view that improper wiring was to be held responsible.

Similar questions were presented to the respondents in summer 2007. In 2007, when asked about the frequency of electricity shutdown in their locality, 78% of the people said that the electricity went out daily in their area, 12% stated that it was shut down once a week, 3% asserted that the light went out once a month and 4% claimed that they rarely faced this problem. Only 1% of those questioned had never had to bear with load shedding. Once again, the majority of the people, i.e. 41%, held WAPDA responsible for this issue and described it as an inefficient organization, 28% were of the view that it occurred because of the lack of water and 16% blamed the broken lines. 13%, on the hand, were of the view that this predicament was due to improper wiring.

The respondents were also requested to tell Gallup what they generally did when the light went out in this survey. In response, 29% of the people said that they lit a candle, 28% used gas lamps, 19% relied on emergency lights, 5% had generators and 9% preferred to simply go out. 10%, however, stated that they did not do anything.

These observations simply reaffirm the already established belief that electricity shutdowns and load shedding are a persistent problem. For years, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to solve this issue, and the situation has worsened to the point that the word ‘inefficient’ seems to have become a permanent prefix for WAPDA. Better management, new power stations and most importantly, increased awareness about the importance of energy conservation might help solve this crisis for Pakistan’s ever-growing population and economy.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.