70% Pakistanis think bribe, source essential to get permit, licenses: Gallup survey

ISLAMABAD, May 26, 2011 (PPI): More than two third Pakistanis (70%) think that Permits and Licenses can only be acquired through bribing an official or by using a personal contact. Less than one fourth (21%) feel that this is not so, showed the result of a survey conducted by Gilani Research Foundation/Gallup Pakistan.

In the survey, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement, “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Permits and Licenses can be acquired only through bribe or ‘source’.” Results show that as many as 70% respondents said they agree with this statement while 21% said they disagree. 9% did not respond.

A detailed analysis of the data reveals that relatively well-off respondents (earning over Rs. 30, 000 a month) appear to be more skeptical about the issuing of Permits and Licenses in the country with 75% saying that these can be acquired only through bribing an official or through a personal contact. On the other hand, 62% low income respondents (earning upto Rs. 7000 a month) shared this opinion.

The study was released by Gilani foundation and carried out by Gallup Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International. The recent survey was carried out among a sample of 2746 men and women in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during April 2010. Error margin is estimated to be approximately + 2-3 per cent at 95% confidence level.