86.4pc voters surveyed feel safe going to polling stations: survey

Amid some anxieties, a combined 86.4 per cent of voters surveyed said they feel safe going to polling stations.

Of the 86.4 per cent, 64.0 per cent responded “yes” and 22.4 per cent said “somewhat”.

Similarly, a combined 82.5 per cent said they expect religious or ethnic minorities can vote without fear in their area (69.7 per cent “yes” and 12.8 per cent “somewhat”), according to the survey shared at a news conference in Dhaka city on Tuesday.

The nationwide civic “pulse check” found older, rural and low-education voters were most likely to be underinformed about the referendum and the July Charter, while worries about disruption and acceptance of results remained high.

The survey was conducted by the Institute of Informatics and Development (IID) and its youth platform Youth for Policy (YfP) as a non-partisan “pulse check” on whether people feel informed enough to make choices, included and safe enough to participate, and confident enough in democratic fairness to accept outcomes.

Syeed Ahamed, CEO of IID, presented the survey findings. Sunjida Rahman, head of Youth for Policy and also senior joint director at IID, and Mariam Tasnim, senior joint director at IID, were also present.

Data were collected on 6–7 February 2026 from 9,892 eligible voters across all eight divisions through a stratified coverage plan.

Nationally, 72.4 per cent of those surveyed said they can easily read and understand the referendum ballot text. However, 37.2 per cent said they know what is in the July Charter.

When asked whether their preferred political party has signed the July Charter, 43.0 per cent said “yes” and another 12.5 per cent preferred not to answer.

While 63.0 per cent said they can speak openly about elections, 20.2 per cent said they cannot.

Some 55.0 per cent of respondents said election-day problems or insecurity could prevent people from voting. This matters because perceived risk can suppress turnout and amplify rumours, especially where information is already limited.

Just over half—51.0 per cent—said they believe losing sides will accept election results fully or partially. Meanwhile, 35.8 per cent were uncertain or unwilling to answer, with uncertainty particularly high among women and among voters with no formal education.

About 47.9 per cent of respondents said the government is neutral on voting, 11.3 per cent said it is not, while 33.7 per cent said they “don’t know”.

Regarding women’s voting autonomy, 68.0 per cent said women vote based on their own judgement. At the same time, 21.1 per cent said they believe women vote according to a husband’s or father’s preference, indicating that household influence remains important in many communities even where women’s participation is recognised.

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