A landmark nationwide poll has laid bare the deep economic anxieties gripping Pakistan, revealing that skyrocketing utility prices, a mounting national debt crisis, and an increasingly hostile business environment are the premier concerns for the country’s citizenry.
The National Citizen Survey 2026, the first comprehensive gauge of public sentiment of its scale in Pakistan, paints a vivid picture of a population under profound financial duress. Executed by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), the extensive study surveyed 5,155 voting-age citizens across both rural and urban demographics between August 23 and September 5, 2026.
The findings come at a critical juncture for policymakers, exposing a stark and widening disconnect between official state expenditure priorities and the day-to-day realities of ordinary citizens. The biggest public grievance is the crippling cost of living, driven primarily by utility tariff hikes. According to the data, 19% of all respondents identified rising electricity and gas prices as the single most critical challenge facing the nation today. This anxiety is further compounded by volatile fuel costs, which an additional 10% of citizens categorized as their primary concern. Together, the energy matrix constitutes the heaviest financial burden on Pakistani households.
Beyond immediate household expenses, the survey captured a profound collective anxiety regarding the macroeconomic trajectory of the state. A staggering 66% of respondents classified Pakistan’s rising national debt as a grave issue, with 49% characterizing the situation as “extremely concerning”. This public concern aligns directly with structural criticisms of the federal budget. Respondents sharply highlighted a severe spending mismatch within national resource allocation. While debt servicing consumes a staggering 42.9% of the national budget, critical social sectors remain severely underfunded, exemplified by healthcare allocations that sit at a negligible 0.1%. This imbalance has fuelled a growing perception that state resources are being utilized to satisfy systemic liabilities rather than fostering human development.
The report delivers a damning indictment of Pakistan’s economic infrastructure, particularly regarding entrepreneurship and local commerce. An overwhelming 91% of citizens stated that starting or running a business in the country is difficult, reflecting systemic barriers that stifle private sector growth and innovation. When asked to isolate the primary operational obstacles, the tax regime emerged as the dominant grievance:
• Complex Tax System: 46% of respondents cited the convoluted and burdensome tax infrastructure as their primary hurdle.
• Credit Crunch: 19% identified limited access to bank loans or formal credit lines as a critical barrier.
• Systemic Corruption: 12% pointed to corruption and the institutional requirement for bribery as the main impediment.
• Energy Costs: 10% focused on the direct impact of high industrial and commercial utility rates.
• Regulatory Red Tape: 7% blamed restrictive government regulations and bureaucratic friction.
• Political Volatility: 2% highlighted general political instability.
In response to these pervasive operational challenges, there is a strong public mandate for structural intervention. Over 76% of citizens called for the immediate introduction of robust government legislation explicitly designed to safeguard private enterprises from arbitrary regulatory overreach and economic instability.
The survey also investigated public perceptions of international financial interventions, revealing deep-seated skepticism toward the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For decades, IMF programs have been utilized as a fiscal stabilization mechanism by successive administrations, yet the public remains largely unconvinced of their efficacy.
A plurality of 38% of respondents expressed the belief that IMF programs yield absolutely no tangible benefit to the public. Furthermore, 30% of those surveyed went a step further, labelling the structural adjustment programs as actively harmful to the domestic economy and the lower-income strata.
This pervasive scepticism regarding foreign bailouts mirrors a broader deficit of trust in domestic institutions. The IPOR-PILDAT data indicates that public confidence in state institutions remains remarkably depressed, driven by years of perceived economic mismanagement and unfulfilled reform promises. While financial pressures dominate the public consciousness, the survey also highlighted significant social anxieties. Chief among these is the escalating crisis of drug abuse, which has rapidly climbed the ladder of civic priorities to become a top-tier concern among families across both rural and urban sectors. Respondents noted that social vulnerabilities are worsening in tandem with economic deterioration, signalling a multi-dimensional crisis that extends far closer to home than national balance sheets
The findings of the survey present a formidable challenge to Pakistan’s legislative and executive leadership. The data demonstrates that public anxiety is no longer confined to political polarization; rather, it is anchored entirely in survival-level economics—affordable power, fair taxation, institutional integrity, and accessible credit. The survey provides an evidence-based roadmap for governance reform. It signals an urgent need for the federal government to pivot away from aggressive taxation on formal businesses and instead focus on expanding the tax base, simplifying compliance, lowering energy costs, and reallocating resources toward social safety nets and healthcare. For a population increasingly cynical of political rhetoric, the National Citizen Survey serves as a definitive, quantifiable record of the citizen’s voice—one that demands structural reform over short-term fiscal fix.