48% of Awami League supporters favour BNP: survey

A survey has revealed that nearly 48 percent of voters who support the Awami League are currently favouring the BNP.

Simultaneously, 37.4 percent of new voters who will be voting for the first time since 2008 have expressed support for Jamaat-e-Islami.

The survey was unveiled on Wednesday at the National Press Club in the capital. The report was titled 'Uncovering the Public Pulse'. It was jointly conducted by the Communication and Research Foundation (CRF) and Bangladesh Election and Public Opinion Studies. The report was presented by Zakaria Palash, Strategic Coordinator of CRF.

Over 90 percent of voters who participated in the survey stated they are interested in voting in the upcoming national election. In contrast, nearly 8 percent of voters remain undecided or are planning not to vote.

Corruption emerged as the most important issue for voters, with 67.3 percent of participants citing it as their primary concern. In comparison, 35.9 percent of voters identified religion as a significant issue.

The survey results indicate that voters are placing greater emphasis on governance, transparency, and economic challenges than on identity or religious issues. Regardless of age or gender, most voters desire leadership that considers the common people and is capable of governing the country effectively. Personal charisma is less of a priority; instead, empathy, accountability, and governance competence are more important to voters.

Voters cited television and social media as the most influential sources for political information. It was also observed that most voters gather information from multiple platforms, indicating a trend of mixed use of traditional and digital media.

Security on election day is also a major concern for voters. Fears regarding polling centre security, intimidation, vote rigging, and ballot stuffing are prevalent among supporters of almost all political parties, although the level of concern varies from party to party.