In a recent survey, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) investigated the statistics and reasons for people’s desire to leave or stay in Pakistan permanently.
According to the survey, young people, especially young men, aged 15 to 24, had the strongest desire to leave the country, with at least 62 percent of them declaring such a desire.
It is clear that both genders across all age groups believe that traveling abroad will increase respect. For both genders, “other” causes become significant in the oldest age group, and survey results indicate that this is primarily because of children who live abroad.
When trends in regions, provinces, and territories were examined, some very interesting reasons for wanting to leave the country emerged.
Moving abroad to gain more respect was an unexpected response compared to the desire for higher income and equal/better all-around opportunities, which was expected.
The second most frequently stated motive for wanting to leave the country is the need for respect (44%).
The idea that people in urban and rural Pakistan are very different from one another is again refuted by the fact that there is little difference between them.
A higher salary is important for everyone, but in Sindh and Balochistan, the desire for more respect outweighs the desire for equal opportunities.
