74% youth think Army is most trustworthy institution in Pakistan

Almost 74 percent youth of Pakistan have expressed their full confidence in the Armed forces for their overall role as an institution, a recent survey conducted by Ipsos revealed on Friday.

The survey, ‘Political Participation Landscape of Pakistani Youth’, was carried out by Ipsos for Voice of America (VOA) from January 3 to January 12. 

The survey targeted 2,050 individuals aged 18 to 34 years, seeking their opinions regarding various institutions in the country.

According to the results, 74 percent of respondents placed their trust in the armed forces, followed by the Supreme Court with 58 percent approval ratings.

The media was trusted by 54 percent, followed by political parties at 50 percent, parliament at 47 percent, and the Election Commission of Pakistan at 42 percent.

3 in 4 respondents believe elections will steer the country in the right direction and 2 in 3 expect the elections will be free and fair. Moreover, 88 percent believe that their vote is important.

Almost 68% respondents said that they believed it was impossible for any organisation to interfere in the elections. 

When questioned about foreign interference in Pakistani elections, 27 percent expressed doubts about the United States (US) and 7% about India meddling in elections.

The survey further revealed that 3 in 5 Pakistanis think political leaders do not understand their issues or priorities. 

As per the survey, 78 percent respondents said that they would vote for the same party, they did in the 2018 elections, whereas 22 percent intend to switch the preferred party.