Survey Reveals 56% Have No Understanding of PR System

Khabor Wala Desk

Published: 21st September 2025, 11:39 AM

Survey Reveals 56% Have No Understanding of PR System

A recent survey has found that while 94.3% of respondents expressed interest in voting if the 13th National Parliamentary Election were held next year, 56% of voters admitted to having no understanding of the proportional representation (PR) system used in the upper house of parliament.

Survey Overview

The results were presented on Sunday morning at the Daily Star building in Dhaka, during an event organised by Innovation Consulting under the theme ‘Public Perception of Elections’.
Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, attended the programme.
Rubaiyat Sarwar, Managing Director of Innovation Consulting, highlighted the survey findings.
The survey was conducted from 2 to 15 September 2025, with 10,413 eligible voters participating.

Key Findings

Aspect	Finding
Voter interest	94.3% would vote if elections were held next year
Support for February elections	86.5% favour holding the election in February
Confidence in interim government	69.9% believe the interim government can conduct a fair election
Confidence in safe voting	77.5% feel they can vote safely
Concerns over law & order	56% worry about law and order; note increase in extortion over past six months
Awareness of PR system	56% unaware; younger generation more aware and positive than older generation
Evaluation of interim government	78.7% rate their actions positively; satisfaction lower among highly educated respondents
University students	Less interested in voting than general respondents; more divided on election timing; also notice increased extortion
Minority religious communities	Show less confidence in interim government’s ability to conduct neutral elections

Generational Differences

The survey revealed that younger voters are more aware of the PR system and hold more positive attitudes towards it than older generations.
However, Gen Z exhibits less confidence in the neutrality of police and administrative authorities during elections compared with senior respondents.

Education and Awareness

Highly educated respondents displayed lower satisfaction with the interim government’s performance.
They were more aware of the PR system, more supportive of it, and also more vocal about the rise in extortion.
University students expressed less enthusiasm to vote, were more uncertain about election timing, and similarly noted a rise in extortion.

Minority Community Perceptions

Members of religious minority communities showed comparatively less positive views regarding the interim government’s capacity to organise neutral elections.

The survey highlights a high level of voter interest alongside significant gaps in awareness of the PR system, law and order concerns, and differences in perception across generations, education levels, and minority groups.