(Reuters) – Nearly 100 percent of young Pakistanis are pessimistic about the future and believe their country is headed in the wrong direction, a survey released on Wednesday found.
A British Council study, entitled “Next Generation Goes to The Ballot Box”, also showed that only one in five young adults expect their economic situation to improve over the next year.
The findings make for disturbing reading for politicians who are trying to win over Pakistanis ahead of a May 11 general election.
Pakistan’s elected government completed its full five-year term last month, the first in the country’s turbulent history to do so.
While that may have bolstered the young democracy, a growing number of Pakistanis are wondering if their leaders will ever tackle poverty, crippling power cuts, corruption and a Taliban insurgency.
“Pessimism is fast becoming a defining trait of Pakistan’s next generation,” said the British Council, which defined young people as between 18 and 29 years old.