A recent survey has found that 80% of people in Bangladesh are concerned about mob violence.
The findings of the survey, conducted by the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), were released on Monday at the National Archives Auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka. BIGD and the reform-focused citizens’ platform Voice for Reform jointly organized the event.
The survey, titled "BIGD Pulse Survey 3: Public Opinion, Experiences and Expectations, July 2025," gathered opinions on the activities of the interim government, people’s expectations for reforms and political parties’ public support ahead of the upcoming elections.
It also found significant public concern over women’s safety, nighttime safety and harassment over clothing.
According to the results, overall concern about mob violence stands at 80%, concern over women’s safety at 56%, nighttime safety at 61% and street harassment over clothing at 67%.
Undecided voters
The survey found that the number of people undecided about who they will vote for in the upcoming general election has increased to 48.5%.
Eight months ago, in October last year, 38% had said they had not yet made up their mind.
A total of 14.4% said they do not want to disclose who they will vote for, while 1.7% said they will not vote.
When asked who they will vote for in the election, 12% mentioned the BNP, 10.4% the Jamaat-e-Islami and 2.8% the National Citizen Party (NCP).
Eight months earlier, in October, the same question had been answered with 16.3% for the BNP, 11.3% for the Jamaat and 2% for the NCP.
In other words, the BNP and Jamaat’s vote share has decreased slightly, while the NCP’s has risen marginally, according to the survey findings.
In the October survey, 8.9% had said they would vote for the Awami League (now banned from political activities). That figure has now dropped to 7.3%.
Meanwhile, support for the Jatiya Party has fallen from 0.7% to 0.3%.
For Islamic parties, it has dropped from 2.6% to 0.7%.
However, when asked which party’s candidate they think will win in their constituency, 38% said the BNP. In response to the same question, 13% mentioned the Jamaat, 1% the NCP and 7% the Awami League.
The survey findings were presented by BIGD Fellow of Practice Syeda Salina Aziz, who said opinions were collected from 5,489 people of various professions from rural and urban areas.
Of them, 53% were men and 47% women; 73% were from rural areas and 27% from urban areas.
Respondents were asked questions over the phone on politics, the economy, ongoing issues and reforms.
The survey was conducted between July 1 and 20. Earlier, based on data from October, BIGD had published the results of the second Pulse Survey in December.
Optimism about economy, political future
Respondents were asked if they, considering the current political and economic situation, think Bangladesh is moving in the right direction or not.
In response, 42% said the country is on the right track politically, while 45% said it is on the right track economically.
In October last year, 56% had said the country was politically on the right track, and 43% had said it was economically on the right track.
This means optimism about the economy has increased slightly, but optimism about the political future has declined.
Asked to rate the interim government’s performance out of 100, the respondents gave it an average score of 63%, down from October’s 68%.
Some 51% said they want the election to be held after thorough reforms, while 17% want it after some urgent reforms. Another 14% think it is better to hold the election without any reforms, and 13% said they have no idea about reforms.
The question on which reforms are necessary allowed for multiple answers. In response, 30% mentioned improving law and order, 16% improving the legal and judicial system, 11% ensuring security, 16% boosting the economy or business, 13% reducing the prices of essential goods, 10% reducing unemployment, and 17% curbing corruption.
In addition, 19% mentioned reducing political instability and intolerance and reforming the electoral system.
Respondents were also asked when they want the national election to be held. A total of 32% said they want it before December this year. Voting by February 2026 was preferred by 12%, by June 2026 by 11% and in December 2026 or later by 25%.
The survey found that 70% believe the upcoming election will be fair, free and impartial.
A total of 15% believe it will not be fair, while 14% said they do not know.
Following the presentation of the survey results, a panel discussion was held with BIGD Senior Research Fellow Mirza M Hassan and Dhaka University Associate Professor Asif Mohammad Shahan. After the discussion, the panellists answered various questions from journalists.
