Pakistan People's Party (PPP) continues to be the most popular political party in the country, especially heart-favourite of youth, a survey conducted recently revealed. According to a survey conducted by a well read Monthly Herald, 28 percent people are in support of PPP, 13 percent PML (N), 8 percent each MQM and BNP, 5 percent ANP, 3 percent PTI, 3 percent Islamic Parties, 2 percent PML (Q), 3 percent other while 7 percent none and 18 percent gave no response.
This response of the people was to a question," Which political party do you support?" To another question, "do you prefer democracy?," 78 percent people say yes while 21 percent went for Military Rule and other 4 percent remained silent. "The party of the Bhuttos still takes a dramatic lead when it comes to mass appeal - an impressive 28 percent of young people are supporters.
Its popularity is also widespread; Jafarabad in Balochistan, Jhang, Okara and Sialkot in Punjab, and Karachi and Dadu in Sindh all show over 30 percent support (not illustrated here). In fact, the PPP is only second to the 25 percent of young people who are apolitical or have no faith in any political party, either actively noting that they would not vote for any of them or leaving the answer blank.
Trailing this politically apathetic or disillusioned group is PML-N at a distant 13 percent. In Balochistan, meanwhile, Baloch nationalist parties take over a third of the vote (not illustrated here)," the magazine stated. The survey carried out by the Magazine clearly rejects the data compiled and announced by BBC, on a similar topic.
True to its reputation, the PPP has a higher percentage of supporters from the lowest income bracket (65 percent) than any other party or the survey pool as a whole (56 percent); PML-N and MQM (not illustrated here), however, also have higher-than-average segments of lower income voters.
It's difficult to tell whether these parties are making inroads into the PPP's traditional support base, or if this is simply a reflection of increasing unemployment and a slowing economy that have forced formerly middle class voters into the lowest income bracket.
Meanwhile, it is ANP and PML-Q that seem to have a monopoly on Pakistanis higher up the economic ladder: according to this survey, at least, they are solidly middle class parties with a significantly lower proportion of poorer voters and a disproportionate number of supporters in the 20,000 to 100,000 rupees-a-month group.
Contrary to its history and conventional wisdom, the PPP's vote bank here is not particularly secular; 59 percent want Pakistan to be an Islamic state and, as with PML-N, ANP and MQM, 80 percent or more of its supporters identify themselves as very or moderately observant, a reflection, it seems, of Pakistan's increasingly religiosity (not illustrated here).
Among the mainstream parties it is PML-Q that has captured the more liberal electorate a quarter of the King's party's supporters are rarely or not at all religious, a reflection, most likely, of the wealth of its support base or perhaps of the General Pervez Musharraf (Retd).