Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif still commands strong support amongst the Pakistani public, while Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s support has slipped in recent months, suggests a new survey by the US-based Pew Research Center.

Despite anti-government protests that have been taking place in Islamabad for the past two weeks, 64 per cent of Pakistanis have a favorable opinion of Nawaz Sharif, a number that has remained virtually unchanged since the last survey was conducted before the 2013 General Elections. At the same time 32 per cent have an unfavorable view of the prime minister.

In Punjab, Sharif has a commanding 74 per cent positive rating, according to the survey.

Imran Khan on the other hand still holds a 53 per cent positive view amongst the Pakistani public, but it has slipped 17 percentage points in the past two years, which at the time stood at 70 per cent.

Around 24 per cent have a negative view of the PTI chief, while 22 per cent offered no opinion on Imran Khan.

The survey, based on 1,203 face-to-face interviews with Pakistanis 18 and older, was conducted between April 15 and May 7 2014. Several areas, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir were excluded for security reasons as were areas of instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan province.

According to the poll, former president Asif Ali Zardari, who left office in September 2013 with a favorability rating of 14 per cent, continues to be unpopular, even though he has seen a boost in his ratings since then.

Roughly 27 per cent of Pakistanis have a positive opinion of Zardari, even though 69 per cent still express a negative view.

Ratings for General Raheel Sharif, former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and current President Mamnoon Hussain are more positive than negative. At the same time many people declined to give their opinion.

About 41 per cent gave a favorable opinion of General Sharif while just 12 per cent had a negative view. 40 per cent expressed a positive opinion of Chaudhry; 19 per cent gave a negative view. Support for Chaudhry has declined since 2010, when 61 per cent held a positive opinion of him.

President Mamnoon Hussain had higher favorable than unfavorable views in the survey. But at the same time 55 per cent, a majority, offered no opinion about Hussain.

Support split for individual institutions

Around 68 per cent say the media, religious leaders (64 per cent) and the national government (60 per cent) are having a positive influence in Pakistan.

Overwhelming majority voice support for girls’ education

Pakistanis broadly support the education of girls. More than 86 per cent say that education is equally important for boys and girls. Few think that education is either more important for boys than girls (7 per cent) or more important for girls than boys (5 per cent).

When asked about Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, more people express favorable (30 per cent) than unfavorable (20 per cent) opinions of the 17-year-old who survived a Taliban assassination attempt for her vocal activism on girls’education.

Around 51 per cent gave no opinion about her in the survey.

India regarded as bigger threat than Taliban

According to the Pew survey, Pakistani’s views India as the principal threat to the country, even more so than the Taliban or other extremist groups.

When comparing perceived threats to the country, 51 per cent of Pakistanis list India as the primary threat to the nation. Around 25 per cent view the Taliban as the greatest threat. Only 2 per cent list al Qaeda as the biggest threat.

The threat perception over India however differs when a breakdown was made of each province.

More than 84 per cent in Punjab and 80 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa view India as a serious threat to Pakistan. That view is comparatively lesser in Sindh (55%) and Balochistan (35%).

When asked to rate the Pakistani governments fight against extremist groups, 28 per cent believe the government is making progress. Around 24 per cent said that the situation remains the same.

One-in-ten believe that the government is losing the fight against extremism, while 38 per cent expressed no opinion.

US still viewed unfavorably by Pakistanis

The Pew research shows that Pakistanis continue to have a negative opinion of the United States.

Only 14 per cent have a favorable view, which remains practically unchanged from last year’s 11 per cent. However, the percentage of people having an unfavorable view has declined in the last two years.

Currently, 59 per cent have a negative rating, down from 72 per cent in 2013 and 80 per cent in 2012. Around 27 per cent did not give an opinion about the US, which is up from 16 per cent last year, and 9 per cent in 2012.

Few Pakistanis held a positive view of President Barack Obama. Only 7 per cent said they have confidence Obama will do the right thing in world affairs.

Around 52 per cent said they lacked confidence in the US President, which remains unchanged from 2013, but down from a peak of 68 per cent three years ago. 41 per cent gave no opinion about Obama.

US drone strikes still unpopular

Drone strikes against extremist organizations are widely unpopular in Pakistan, which has been the target of numerous strikes in recent years.

Two-in-three Pakistanis oppose US drone attacks, while just 3 per cent approve and 30 per cent offered no opinion.

The one Obama administration policy popular among Pakistanis was the withdrawal of most US troops from neighboring Afghanistan.

By a 46 per cent-11 per cent margin, Pakistanis say this is a positive rather than a negative development. Around 40 per cent did not hold an opinion.