Comments on: IRI Poll: Nawaz on Top, Musharraf on Bottom; Pakistanis Want Judges and Jobs Back; PPP’s Leaderless Drift

By: Ahsan

Ahsan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:41:24 +0000

Public opinion has drastically changed since the Long March. Now, the front pages of newspapers and the lead items on TV news stations are invariably linked to the economic or security crisis in the country. With petrol and food prices rising at the rate they are, and constant and daily loadshedding, the judges issue has been pushed back, at least temporarily, by more day-to-day concerns. Being in Pakistan right now has really driven that fact home to me.

By: Arif Rafiq

Arif Rafiq — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:37:51 +0000

Raza, you’re welcome. Tom’s link (thanks, Tom) has details on the survey background, which you’re more than welcome to look at and comment on.

The survey seems fairly standard. Some critical comments from me:

1) Perhaps men and literate individuals are somewhat over represented.
2) Survey was conducted during the Long March and over a two week period. That could have weighed things in the PML-N’s and pro-judiciary crowd’s favor. But then you have the no dharna factor also. So the survey was conducted during a two week period that included the build up to the Long March, its climax, and the disappointment.

I have not heard of the local company that conducted the polling. I wrongly assumed it was Gallup Pakistan or AC Nielsen Pakistan — but it’s another company.

A little Orientalist in approach? I would have to disagree there. It’s not an anthropological study making cultural assumptions. It’s a study of public opinion. The sponsoring organization in Western, but it seems as if the group that conducted the survey is local. Moreover, it’s the same type of thing you’d see in the US regarding the elections, etc.

I would say this series of surveys are counter-orientalist as they provide a means to understand shifts and divisions within Pakistani public opinion. An Orientalist approach would assume uniformity of thought and static sentiments rooted in unchanging culture and traditions.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:06:39 +0000

The sample size and methodology can be found in the links to IRI’s website

http://www.iri.org/mena/pakistan/pdfs/2008%20July%2017%20Survey%20of%20Pakistan%20Public%20Opinion,%20June%201-15,%202008.pdf

Interviews were face to face, sample size is over 3000

By: Raza Rumi

Raza Rumi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:01:02 +0000

Arif
thanks for this post and your analysis. It would have been great if you had commented on the sample size, the methodology of this survey.

I am quite intrigued by these surveys and how they tell us about our country and what we think, like and dislike..
A little Orientalist in approach…
Maybe I am a bit too cynical