A majority of Bangladeshis approve of the new government’s performance, but public sentiment remains finely balanced over the country’s direction, with corruption, drugs and law and order emerging as the most pressing national concerns, according to a new nationwide survey by the International Republican Institute.
The IRI’s National Survey of Bangladesh found that 55% of respondents said the new government was doing a good job, including 26% who rated its performance “very good” and 29% “somewhat good.” By comparison, 41% gave the government a negative rating, while 5% did not know or declined to answer.
Yet the broader national mood is far less comfortable for the government. Some 46% said Bangladesh was heading in the right direction, against 44% who said it was going the wrong way, leaving only a two-point advantage for optimism.
In October 2025, the gap had been 11 points, with 53% saying the country was moving in the right direction and 42% saying the opposite.
The survey was conducted from May 16 to June 24 among 5,000 adults across all 64 districts and eight divisions. Interviews were conducted face-to-face at respondents’ homes.
The nationally representative poll has a margin of error of ±1.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Corruption was identified as the single most important problem facing Bangladesh by 22% of respondents, ahead of drugs at 15%, crime and law and order at 12%, inflation and commodity prices at 10%, unemployment at 9% and political instability at 7%.
Among the 1,123 respondents who singled out corruption, 29% said corruption in obtaining jobs was the most serious form, followed by misuse of government funding at the local level at 19% and corruption in securing national government contracts at 16%.
The survey also exposes sharp differences in public confidence across institutions. The army recorded by far the strongest result, with a net approval rating of +59 points. The High Court stood at +32, local government bodies at +28, religious leaders at +25, the media at +22 and the student movement at +20.
The Election Commission registered net approval of +15 and political parties +10. Police were the only institution surveyed to record negative net approval, at -17 points, with 45% approving of their performance against 52% disapproving.
The findings are considerably stronger for the political system and the February parliamentary election. Some 62% rated the current state of democracy as good, although that was down from 72% in October 2025. Thirty-two percent described democracy as bad.
The February 2026 parliamentary election received an especially strong endorsement: 73% described it as either mostly or somewhat free and fair, compared with 22% who considered it somewhat or mostly rigged.
Optimism extends to future elections, with 77% saying they were very or somewhat optimistic that future polls would be free and fair, although that figure slipped from 80% in October 2025.
The BNP also emerged as the best-liked major political party. Fifty-seven percent said they strongly or somewhat liked the BNP, compared with 48% for Jamaat-e-Islami and 37% for the National Citizen Party. The Awami League drew positive ratings from 22%, while 72% said they somewhat or strongly disliked the party.
But the survey points to significant pressure on the government over reform. Only 31% of respondents said they were very familiar with the July National Charter or knew some of its contents.
Among those who did, 59% said the government was implementing its reforms too slowly, while 28% believed the pace was right and 8% said it was moving too quickly. The dissatisfaction was strongest among respondents aged 18-25, 66% of whom said the reforms were proceeding too slowly.
The result presents a mixed political picture: a government with a positive approval balance and an electorate broadly confident in elections and democracy, but one facing strong demands for faster reform and tangible action against corruption, drugs, insecurity and economic pressure.
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