A survey has found that 48.50 per cent of respondents are undecided about who they will vote for in the national election expected to be held next February.
This indicates an increase in the number of such voters as a previous survey put the figure at 38 per cent in October 2024.
The most pressing concern highlighted by the respondents was mob violence, with 80 per cent describing the situation as precarious, according to the latest survey.
The BRAC Institute of Governance and Development and the Voice for Reform, a citizen platform on reforms, jointly conducted the Pulse Survey and presented its results through a ceremony at the National Archives Auditorium in the capital鈥檚 Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Monday.
Asked who they would vote for, 12 per cent of respondents named the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, 10.40 per cent Jamaat-e-Islami and 2.80 per cent the National Citizen Party which was formed after the July mass uprising that ousted the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
In October 2024, the figure was 16.30 per cent for the BNP, 11.30 per cent for Jamaat and 2 per cent for the NCP.
Another 14.40 per cent said they did not wish to reveal their choice, while 1.70 per cent said they would not vote at all.
Syeda Selina Aziz, BIGD fellow of practice, presented findings of the survey.
She said that a total of 5,489 people from both rural and urban areas participated in the survey conducted between July 1 and 20. Of them, 53 per cent was male and 47 per cent female.
The previous Pulse Survey was published in December 2024 based on data from October.
In past October鈥檚 survey, 8.90 per cent said they would vote for the Awami League, activities of which have been suspended until the trail of the party and its leaders over atrocities during the uprising, but the figure has now dropped to 7.30 per cent as per the latest survey.
The Jatiya Party鈥檚 share declined from 0.70 per cent to 0.30 per cent, and support for the other Islamic parties fell from 2.60 per cent to 0.70 per cent.
The performance rating of the interim government has also declined over time 鈥� from 75 per cent in August 2024 to 68 per cent in October 2024 and further down to 63 per cent in July 2025.
Several factors may have contributed to this downward trend. The most pressing concern stated by respondents is mob violence, with 80 per cent describing the situation as precarious, 67 per cent cited public harassment over clothing as a significant issue, 61 per cent expressed concerns about safety when moving around at night, and 56 per cent rated the state of women鈥檚 safety as poor.
When asked which party they thought would win in their respective constituencies, 38 per cent respondents named the BNP, 13 per cent Jamaat, 1 per cent the NCP and 7 per cent Awami League.
Asked whether Bangladesh is on the right track politically and economically, 42 per cent said that the country was politically on the right path while 45 per cent said that it was economically on the right path. In October past year, 56 per cent believed the country was on the right political path and 43 per cent on the right economic path.
