Voters largely feel safe to vote

Despite lingering anxieties around the electoral environment, a large majority of voters say they feel safe going to polling stations, according to a nationwide survey released on Tuesday.

Confidence is also relatively high that religious and ethnic minorities will be able to vote without fear.

However, the survey points to persistent weaknesses in voter information, uncertainty over political commitments, and doubts about whether election results will be accepted - issues that could shape turnout and post-election stability.

Amid some anxieties, a combined 86.4 per cent of voters surveyed said they feel safe going to the polling station. Of this group, 64.0 per cent responded "yes", while 22.4 per cent said they feel "somewhat" safe.

Similarly, a combined 82.5 per cent expect that religious or ethnic minorities will be able to vote without fear in their area, with 69.7 per cent answering "yes" and 12.8 per cent "somewhat", according to the survey shared at a press conference in the city on Tuesday.

The survey said a nationwide civic pulse check found that older voters, rural residents and those with lower levels of education are most likely to be under-informed about the referendum and the July Charter. At the same time, concerns about disruption and acceptance of results remain 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".

IID Chief Executive Officer Syeed Ahamed presented the survey findings, while Sunjida Rahman, Head of Youth for Policy and Senior Joint Director of IID, and Mariam Tasnim, Senior Joint Director of IID, were also present.

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

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

When asked whether their preferred political party has signed the July Charter, just 43.0 per cent answered "yes", while another 12.5 per cent preferred not to respond.

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

More than half of respondents, or 55 per cent, said election-day problems or insecurity could prevent people from voting. The survey noted that perceived risk can suppress turnout and amplify rumours, particularly in areas where information is already limited.

Only slightly over half, or 51.0 per cent, believe losing sides will fully or partially accept election results.

Meanwhile, 35.8 per cent were uncertain or unwilling to answer, with uncertainty particularly high among women and voters with no formal education.

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