Photo courtesy of SBS
The latest SLOTS polling for July 2024 shows that 72% of Sri Lankans continue to say that the country is heading in the wrong direction while only 8% believe it is on the right track. Public views towards the country’s direction have worsened since July 2023, driven by a steady decline in uncommitted respondents. The number who think the country is moving in the right direction has remained below 5%. However, the July estimates show a little improvement with 8% now thinking the country is on the right track.
Sri Lankans are more likely to think the country is headed in the wrong direction than people in any other country where this is polled. In June–July 2024, a global average of 62% of adults polled by IPSOS in 29 countries thought their country was headed in the wrong direction compared with 93% in Sri Lanka.
Public opinion towards the country’s direction differs slightly by age in 2024 while younger adults (ages 18–29) and those aged 30–44 more likely to think the country is heading in the wrong direction compared to older adults.
The July 2024 estimates are based on 680 interviews with estimates adjusted to match the Sri Lankan population for age, sex, education level, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, geographical location and sector.
SLOTS polls the public’s outlook on the overall direction of the country by asking people: “Would you say things in the country are headed in the right direction or the wrong direction?”. Respondents are also allowed not to answer or to say they “Don’t know” or are “Not sure”. The percentages saying the country is moving in the right or wrong direction is based on all those who were interviewed so numbers for right and wrong tracks will not sum to 100% because of don’t knows and refusals.
To minimize sample bias, estimates are based on weighting respondents to match the national population for age, sex, sector, ethnicity, religion, education, socioeconomic status ranking and geographical location.