Populist Attitude and Voting in Pakistan: Insights from a National Survey

The electoral success of the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) – a populist party – in Pakistan prompts scholarly interest in the dynamics of populist voting. While existing literature offers qualitative insights into PTI appeals, a quantitative assessment of public attitudes towards populism and their correlation with voting behaviour remains absent. This paper aims to address this gap and presents the results of the first populist survey in Pakistan. By empirically measuring populist, pluralist and elitist attitudes among Pakistani voters and examining their relationship with voting behaviour, the study contributes some understanding of factors driving support for populist forces in Pakistan. The study also highlights the limitations of the scales, when applied in Pakistan, and suggests modification for future empirical studies on populist attitude.