Majority upbeat about economy

The majority of Bangladeshis have expressed optimism about the economy, giving the thumbs-up to the government's economic management, a Washington-based research organisation said in its survey on public sentiment.
The Economic Conditions Report of Pew Research Centre, released on Tuesday, found that 71 percent of the Bangladeshis covered in the survey are happy with the economic health of the country compared to 28 percent dissatisfied.
The reputed research organisation interviewed 1,000 Bangladeshis face-to-face, all above 18 years of age, from April 14 to May 11 this year. The survey was conducted in Bangla, the organisation said on its website.
The annual report examines public opinion about the economy in 44 countries, including public views of the way things are going on in respondents' countries, the current national economic situation and expectations for the national economy over the next 12 months.
The report also gauges the intensity of public concern about unemployment, inflation, inequality and public debt.
Apart from Bangladesh, the poll was conducted in eight developing countries: Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Nicaragua, Uganda, Tanzania, El Salvador and Palestine.
A staggering 66 percent of the respondents said they expect the economic situation in Bangladesh would improve over the next 12 months, while 22 percent said the situation will remain the same. One in 10 respondents said the economic situation will worsen.
A global median of 60 percent see their country's economy performing poorly. This includes 64 percent of those surveyed in advanced economies and 59 percent in emerging markets.
Only in developing economies is there some semblance of satisfaction with economic performance: 51 percent voice the view that their economy is doing well.
Fifty-four percent of the respondents in Bangladesh said they are satisfied with the way things are going on in the country, while 44 percent are dissatisfied. All is not well for Bangladesh, as 77 percent respondents see inflation as a major problem. The sentiment is in line with worries expressed by respondents from the surveyed countries.
For Bangladesh, inflation has been more than 7 percent for a long period. It eased 0.13 percentage point to 6.91 percent in August compared to the previous month due mainly to a fall in food prices in the international markets.
A lack of job opportunities in the country worries 70 percent respondents. There is, however, low concern about income inequality as only 34 percent Bangladeshis saw the rich-poor gap as a major problem.
"Income inequality is a particular worry in Tanzania and Ghana, but a relatively low concern in Bangladesh," the report said.
Only 28 percent are concerned about public debt. "It is again the least of Bangladeshi economic anxieties," it said.  
The report also said six years after the beginning of the great recession, amid an uneven global economic recovery, publics around the world remain glum.
In most nations, people say their country is heading in the wrong direction and most voice the view that economic conditions are bad. Pew Research is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world, according to its website.
It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.
Results for the global survey are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Survey results are based on national samples.