Photo courtesy of Unicef
Polling by the Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) reveals that 75% of Sri Lankans believe the income gap between the rich and poor is a very big problem and another 21% think it is a moderately big problem.
This sentiment was consistent across demographic groups including age, gender, ethnicity, urban/rural residents and socio-economic status. However, respondents who intended to vote for or did vote for Ranil Wickremesinghe were somewhat less likely to think it was a problem while Anura Kumara Dissanayake supporters were less likely than Sajith Premadasa supporters to think it was not a problem.
The SLOTS survey, conducted from January to mid-November 2024, highlights growing concern over income inequality:
- 92% believe the income gap has widened in the past 10 years with only 7% saying it has remained unchanged.
- Among those who think the rich-poor income gap has widened, 94% consider it a negative developmentalthough the share labeling it very bad has halved post- September’s presidential election.
Public views on government’s role in addressing inequality
When asked about the government’s role in addressing income inequality:
- 65% say the government should do a lot more.
- 19% suggest the government should do a little more.
- Only 4% believe current efforts are sufficient while only 10% think the government should not be doing anything to reduce the income gap.
These findings indicate that there may be widespread public support for the government increasing efforts to address income inequality.
Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya, Executive Director of IHP, commented, “The widespread concern about income inequality among Sri Lankans reflects a critical need and public desire for more inclusive economic growth. President Dissanayake’s emphasis in his speech to Parliament on 21 November on the need for equitable wealth distribution resonates with public sentiment and represents a significant step toward addressing these disparities. However, effective policies and implementation will be key to translating this vision into reality.”
These findings are based on 9,525 interviews conducted between January 1 and November 24, 2024. The sample sizes varied by question and responses were weighted to align with the national population.
SLOTS combines data from a national sample of adults (ages 18 and over) reached by random digit dialling of mobile numbers, and others coming from a national panel of respondents who were previously recruited through random selection. All estimates are weighted to be representative of the national population, including characteristics such as age, gender, province, sector, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and education.