Bangladesh’s Democracy: According to its People A SURVEY OF THE BANGLADESHI PEOPLE The Asia Foundation Improving Lives, Expanding Opportunities Bangladesh’s Democracy: According to its People A Survey of the Bangladeshi People Report Author: Tim Meisburger Program Director: Peter Yates Editors: Hasan Mazumdar Sara L. Taylor Peter Yates Nurul Islam Questionnaire design: Tim Meisburger & Peter Yates Sample design: Survey and Research System, Bangladesh Fieldwork: Survey and Research System, Bangladesh Copyright © 2016 The Asia Foundation About The Asia Foundation The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our programs address critical issues affecting Asia in the 21st century – governance and law, economic development, women’s empowerment, environment, and regional cooperation. In addition, our Books for Asia and professional exchange programs are among the ways we encourage Asia’s continued development as a peaceful, just, and thriving region of the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Working with public and private partners, the Foundation receives funding from a diverse group of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals. For more information, visit www.asiafoundation.org TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ............................................................................ 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................... 6 1 CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY ......................................... 20 2 THE NATIONAL MOOD ............................................... 21 2.1 DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY - NATIONAL ........................... 21 2.2 BIGGEST PROBLEM - NATIONAL ....................................... 22 2.3 DIRECTION - LOCAL ..................................................... 23 2.4 BIGGEST PROBLEM - LOCAL ........................................... 24 2.5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 25 3 DEMOCRATIC VALUES ............................................... 27 3.1 SUPPORT FOR MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY ............................ 27 3.2 POLITICAL TOLERANCE.................................................. 28 3.3 FREEDOM OF SPEECH.................................................... 30 3.4 TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS ............................................... 31 3.5 CIVIC PARTICIPATION................................................... 32 3.6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 34 4 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT .......................................... 36 4.1 INTEREST IN POLITICS .................................................. 36 4.2 POLITICAL ALIENATION ................................................. 37 4.3 IMPACT OF ELECTIONS .................................................. 38 4.4 POLITICAL EFFICACY .................................................... 38 4.5 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ............................................. 40 4.6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 43 5 POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICAL CHOICE ........... 44 5.1 PARTY OR CANDIDATE .................................................. 44 5.2 MOST IMPORTANT CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES ......................... 44 5.3 MOST IMPORTANT PARTY ATTRIBUTES ...............................45 5.4 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTIES ........................ 46 5.5 PARTY ALIENATION ...................................................... 47 5.6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 48 6 POLITICAL REPRESENTATION ................................... 49 6.1 ROLE OF A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT .................................. 49 6.2 KNOWLEDGE OF REPRESENTATIVE IN PARLIAMENT ................. 50 6.3 ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONSTITUENCY ............................. 50 6.4 SATISFACTION WITH MP ............................................... 52 6.5 LOCAL REPRESENTATION ............................................... 53 6.6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 55 7 ELECTION ADMINISTRATION .................................... 56 7.1 VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS ........................................ 56 7.2 KNOWLEDGE OF REGISTRATION AND CORRECTION PROCESSES .. 56 7.3 PERCEPTION OF ECB VOTER EDUCATION ............................. 57 7.4 PERCEPTION OF NEUTRALITY OF ECB ................................. 58 7.5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 59 8 ATTITUDES TOWARDS ELECTIONS ............................ 60 8.1 VOTING PARTICIPATION IN 2014 ..................................... 60 8.2 INFLUENCE OF OBSERVERS ON PERCEPTION OF ELECTORAL INTEGRITY ................................................................ 62 8.3 PERCEPTIONS OF FAIRNESS OF 2014 ELECTION PROCESS ........ 64 8.4 PROBLEMS IN ELECTIONS .............................................. 65 8.5 ELECTION SECURITY .................................................... 66 8.6 PERCEPTION OF BOYCOTT .............................................. 68 8.7 GIFT GIVING AND VOTE BUYING ...................................... 68 8.8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 70 9 WOMEN IN ELECTIONS AND POLITICS ...................... 71 9.1 GENDER CHOICE FOR PARLIAMENT ................................... 71 9.2 REASONS FOR GENDER CHOICE ....................................... 74 9.3 INDEPENDENCE OF WOMEN’S CHOICE IN VOTING .................. 76 9.4 SUPPORT FOR RESERVED SEATS FOR WOMEN ........................ 79 9.5 GENDER PREFERENCE FOR REPRESENTATIVE ........................ 80 9.6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 81 10 COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA ..................... 82 10.1 SOURCES OF INFORMATION ............................................ 82 10.2 PHONE OWNERSHIP AND ACCESS TO INTERNET ..................... 84 10.3 ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA ............................................. 86 10.4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 88 11 ANNEX A – METHODOLOGY ....................................... 89 11.1 SURVEY SAMPLE ......................................................... 89 11.2 STEP 1. DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLING POINTS BY DIVISIONAL AND URBAN/RURAL STRATA .................................................. 90 11.3 STEP 2: SAMPLE HOUSEHOLD SELECTION ......................... 90 11.4 STEP 3: SELECTION OF SAMPLE RESPONDENTS BY USING GRID SYSTEM METHOD ...................................................... 91 11.5 QUALITY CONTROL BY SUPERVISORS IN THE FIELD ............... 94 11.6 QUALITY CONTROL WITH RANDOM SPOT CHECKS ................ 94 ANNEX B - QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................... 95 PREFACE The Asia Foundation is pleased to present Bangladesh’s Democracy: According to its People. For many years, our surveys have gathered the opinions of Bangladeshi women and men on issues of paramount importance to their country’s social, economic, and political development. This survey, carried out in October and November 2015, captures the diverse range of attitudes towards democracy and its necessary institutions, and compares them with a similar survey carried out in 2006 in Bangladesh, as well as more recent surveys carried out in other Asian countries. The findings reflected in this report highlight the dynamic nature of Bangladesh’s democracy. The significant differences in responses recorded across the country’s eight divisions highlight the diversity of democratic experiences in a country where homogeneity is often assumed. While attitudes towards some institutions have improved, the findings point to a country in democratic flux, where the challenges associated with political polarization are increasing. The acceptance of women’s participation in political processes continues to pose a challenge to an inclusive democracy, while the use of newer technologies to facilitate the availability of open information is only just beginning to expand to all citizens. We are grateful to the donors for the financial assistance that enabled the survey to take place. We would also like to acknowledge the services provided by the Survey and Research System and other local and international experts during the data collection, analysis and reporting phases. We express our gratitude to all the field staff who worked hard to successfully implement the survey, along with the survey respondents who provided us with the information on which this report is based. It is hoped that by providing insight into the current perceptions and attitudes of Bangladeshis today, this survey can support the Government, civil society and international community in strengthening the country’s democratic institutions, culture and practice. Hasan M. Mazumdar Country Representative Bangladesh EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Key Findings The National Mood • Bangladeshis are divided on the direction of their country. At the national level 45% believe Bangladesh is headed in the right direction, while 56% believe their local community is headed in the right direction. • Inflation was cited by 43% as the biggest concern at the national level, and combined with other issues, economic concerns were the biggest problem for 55%, while another 18% thought corruption the biggest problem. • At the local level the biggest problems for two-thirds of Bangladeshis were related to infrastructure, especially the poor quality of roads (54%). Democratic