Attitudes towards National Election of 2024: A Pre-Election Study of People Living in Dinajpur Sadar, Bangladesh

This paper reports attitudes and behaviors regarding the 2024 national election in Bangladesh as described by Dinajpur Sadar voters, using a mixed-methods approach with quantitative and qualitative data. A representative sample of 120 respondents-including a variety of professions and relatively fair gender representation-offers insight into electoral engagement, trust in political institutions, and their principal concerns. Local economic issues in job creation and stability of income appear as critical in shaping political preferences. While 58.33% of those surveyed would still trust political parties to represent public interests, a notable percentage of 41.67% can be seen as skeptical, reflecting political polarization. Youth disengagement is a clear concern: over half show low enthusiasm for participation. Misinformation has remained an issue: up to 23.3% reported seeing misleading election-related information online. Moderate confidence in election officials contrasts with a pervasive sense of uncertainty about electoral fairness, with 55-60% suspecting potential corruption. According to the findings, the economic issue, facilitation of transparency, and particular programs for the youth and women should be implemented to inspire more civic engagements. The findings pave the way towards strategies to build trust, combat misinformation, and strengthen democratic engagement in Dinajpur Sadar.