Public opinion divided over influence of religion on Pakistanis

According to a Gilani Research Foundation Survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan, 38 per cent Pakistanis think that the influence of religion is increasing on people in Pakistan; 37 per cent think it is decreasing.

A nationally representative sample of adult men and women, from across the four provinces was asked, “In your opinion, is the influence of religion increasing or decreasing on people in Pakistan?”

In response to this question, 38 per cent respondents said that the influence of religion is increasing on people in Pakistan, 37 per cent respondents said that the influence of religion is decreasing, while 24 per cent believe that there has been no difference in the influence of religion and 1 per cent did not respond.

This question has also been asked during previous years over the past decade. Between 2002 and 2007, there was a sharp increase in the percentage of respondents who believed that the influence of religion is increasing from 34 per cent to 46 per cent.

This change was accompanied by a sharp decline in the percentage of respondents who believed that the influence of religion is decreasing from 47 per cent (2002) to 21 per cent (2007). Since 2007, however, change has steadied. The percentage of respondents who said that influence of religion was decreasing increased again to 35 per cent in 2011, and then further to 37 per cent in 2015.

While the percentage of respondents who said that influence of religion was increasing fell to 43 per cent in 2011, and then further to 38 per cent in 2015.

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

The recent survey was carried out among a sample of 1827 men and women in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during April 27- May 04, 2015. Error margin is estimated to be approximately ± 2-3 per cent at 95 per cent confidence level.