Number of Sri Lankans thinking country is heading in the wrong direction continues to increase.
The latest SLOTS polling estimates show 80% of Sri Lankan adults say that the country is heading in the wrong direction in May 2024 while only 4% say it is on the right track. Public views about whether the country is heading in the wrong direction have trended more negative since July 2023. This change is due to a steady decline in uncommitted respondents since the numbers who think the country is in the right direction have remained below 5%.
These negative views are widely held, with little difference by gender, income level, urban and rural areas, voting preferences, and people’s views of Aragalaya.
Sri Lankans are more likely to think the country is headed in the wrong direction than in any other country where this is polled. In April-May 2024, a global average of 62% of adults polled in 29 countries thought their country was headed in the wrong direction compared with 96% in Sri Lanka. In contrast, majority of people in Singapore, India and Indonesia think their country is headed in the right direction.
The May 2024 estimates are based on 489 interviews, with estimates adjusted to match the Sri Lankan population for age, sex, education level, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, geographical location, and sector.
About IHP
IHP is an independent, non-partisan research centre based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The SLOTS lead investigator is Dr Ravi Rannan-Eliya of IHP, who has trained in public opinion polling at Harvard University and has conducted numerous surveys over three decades.