No
sooner had the BNP-led alliance
finished its tenure than political
violence erupted in major
cities around the country,
leaving more than 25 dead
in a matter of two days. But
when the President assumed
the role of the Chief Advisor
to the Caretaker government,
Awami League-led Alliance,
the immediate past opposition,
withdrew its movements, but
warned of fresh ones if their
demands were not met.
ET survey team was at different
public spots-from bus stations
to kitchen markets-to gauge
people's immediate reaction.
It was conducted within the
Dhaka metropolitan area and
the sample contains 137 randomly
selected people who are above
18 years. Although the survey
has its limitations (non-response
rate was about 20%; in particular,
many women approached by our
team declined to participate
in the survey) and its results
may not be generalized to
the national level, it nonetheless,
we believe, has its share
of merits. First, Dhaka attracts
a lot of migrants from all
around the country and second,
many of the electoral constituencies
in Dhaka are considered swing
ones.
Questionnaire and results
follow:
1.Clashes between BNP-led
and AL-led alliances have
left many dead. What best
describes your reaction?
a. I am simply shocked
b. I have no sympathy for
those who died as they were
politically involved
c. I have become used to such
violence
d. Others
That
most of the respondents
were simply shocked
is not surprising. As
one respondent puts
it, "The photos
in the newspapers and
television footage were
very disturbing. I cannot
imagine how people can
become so violent."
The results are disturbing,
however. Many respondents
have very negative perception
of politics in Bangladesh
and they have no sympathy
when people involved
in politics die. People
who favor a particular
alliance may also have
chosen answer "b".
2.
What best describes
the effect on your life
due to this political
violence? (multiple
answers allowed)
a. I could not do my
daily activities
b. I was stuck outside
Dhaka
c. I incurred economic
loss
d. I missed important
engagements
e. I got an extended
vacation from Eid, so
I am not going to complain
f. Others
Very few respondents in the
survey say this political
violence did not affect their
lives negatively.
3.
Has your perception
on AL-led Alliance changed
due to the recent violence?
a. Yes, favorably
b. Yes, unfavorably
c. No
See comments in 4.
4. Has your perception
of BNP-led Alliance
changed due to the recent
violence?
a. Yes, favorably
b. Yes, unfavorably
c. No
Before
we conducted the survey, we
had thought that an overwhelming
number of respondents would
say that their perception
of either political party
changed unfavorably. The results
are unexpected, and therefore,
we think, more interesting.
First, what we find is that
most people who say their
perception of AL-led Alliance
has changed unfavorably also
say their perception of BNP-led
Alliance has changed favorably
and vice versa.
However, about 28% of the
respondents say their views
of AL-led Alliance and BNP-led
Alliance have not changed.
In a smaller sub-sample, we
asked those respondents who
chose "c" to explain
their choice. Many of...
