Public faith in Pakistan’s government institutions is alarmingly low, but a fresh survey suggests the negativity may be overstated. The Ipsos-FPCCI collaboration’s Index of Transparency and Accountability in Pakistan (ITAP) spotlights how media narratives and word-of-mouth skew views against actual service delivery.
Launched in Islamabad, the study—conducted over December 2025-January 2026—gathered responses from more than 6,000 men and women across 82 districts and 195 tehsils, plus 300 bureaucratic insiders. Dawn reports reveal that while 68% decry corruption as ubiquitous, only 27% encountered bribe solicitations personally.
Ipsos Pakistan head Abdul Sattar Babar described the findings as a wake-up call: ‘Corruption exists at high levels, but perceptions run wilder still.’ He highlighted gains in public hospitals’ reputation, with 53% of respondents interfacing with health services in the last year.
Through 36 targeted queries on graft awareness, favoritism, unlawful assets, and reform satisfaction, ITAP sets a recurring national standard. This perceptual-reality mismatch poses risks to social cohesion and policy effectiveness.
Policymakers must now prioritize transparency drives, digital grievance portals, and success stories to realign public sentiment. As FPCCI’s brainchild, the index promises ongoing vigilance, potentially catalyzing a more trusting governance ecosystem in Pakistan.