ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis are more worried about the country’s ballooning debt and soaring electricity and gas bills than any other issue, according to the first-ever National Citizen Survey launched on Monday, which found a stark mismatch between public priorities andfederalspending.
Released at a Citizens’ Roundtable convened by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), the survey was conducted independently by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR).
PILDAT facilitated the roundtable and led stakeholder engagement andcommunications for the launch.
The findings present a blunt verdict on fiscal priorities. While 66 per cent of citizens view Pakistan’s rising national debt as a grave concern with 49pc calling it ‘extremely concerning’ federal budget allocations tell a different story.
Almost 42.9pc of the Rs18.771 trillion federal budget 2026-27 goes to debt servicing alone, more than defence, health, education, pensions and subsidies combined. By contrast, federal health spending amounts to just 0.1pc of the budget.
Researchers said the gap holds across provinces, and across urban and rural, income and age groups alike.
About 19pc of citizens feel that rising electricity and gas prices are Pakistan’s number one problem the most-cited issue nationwide. Nearly one in five also cited the sharp rise in the cost of everyday goods as a leading concern, while unemployment ranked third.
On the economy, 91pc said it is diffi-cult to start or run a business in Pakistan today, with taxes highlighted as the single biggest obstacle. About 68pc viewed the IMF programme as either harmful or of no benefit to the general public, and 60pc said the education system does not meet the needs of a modern economy.
The surveyfound a deeptrustdencit.
Not a single public institution tested Parliament, the Election Commission, or the FBR commands the complete trust of a majority of citizens. Parliament received complete trust from just 15pc of respondents, and the Revenue Department from 13pc. FIA and NAB recorded the highest levels of confidence at 33pc and 23pc, respectively.
On corruption, 18pc said a government official had personally asked them for a bribe in the past year, providing first-hand evidence of Pakistan’s high global corruption ranking. The survey also captured a shift in how people consume information. Almost 42pc now trust social media more than televisionfor news, even though 56pc blamed the internetfor declining socialvalues.
An absolute majority of 79pc called the rise of drug use in Pakistan ‘extremely dangerous.’ On foreign influence, 43pc viewed reports on Pakistan by foreign-funded NGOs and think tanks as either contrary to facts and exaggerated or driven by a foreign agenda-nearly double the 25pc who saw such reporting as fact-based.
PILDAT Consulting Executive Director Mamoon Bilal delivered the opening remarks, while IPOR Executive Director Tariq Junaid presented the methodology and findings. Experts from academia, think tanks, the judiciary, the legal profession and the media attended to discuss the results.
The survey, based on 5,155 face-toface, in-home interviews conducted between Aug 23 and Sept 5, used a fourstage stratified sample covering all four provinces, 60pc rural and 40pc urban areas, and all major age, gender and income groups.