Dhaka: More than four-fifths of citizens in Bangladesh feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, according to the Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2025 conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the findings were revealed at the publication ceremony of the CPS 2025 Final Report held at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics auditorium in the city. Aleya Akter, Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) at the Ministry of Planning, was present as the chief guest. SM Shakil Akhter, Secretary of the Planning Division, and Mohammad Masud Rana Chowdhury, Additional Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, attended the event as special guests. The programme was chaired by Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Director General of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, and Project Director Rashed-E-Mastahab made a presentation on the survey findings.
The BBS carried out the Citizen Perception Survey from February 6 to 23, 2025, interviewing 84,807 respondents aged 18 and above from 45,888 households across 1,920 Primary Sampling Units in all 64 districts. The survey found that 84.81 percent of citizens feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, with women’s sense of safety at 80.67 percent, lower than men’s at 89.53 percent. The perceived safety inside homes after dark was higher at 92.54 percent.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Aleya Akter expressed that the survey would pave the way for further governmental planning. Planning Secretary SM Shakil Akhter added that despite being a perception survey, the findings were accurately conducted.
On governance, the survey showed that only 27.24 percent of citizens think they can influence government decision-making, a perception that decreases to 21.99 percent in terms of political influence. Nationally, about 24.62 percent believe that decision-making in the political system is inclusive, with little variation between rural and urban areas.
Regarding public service delivery, 47.12 percent of the population received government health services over the past year. Approximately 40.93 percent reported that at least one of their children attended a government school, while 73.77 percent accessed other government services like civil registration. Satisfaction levels were reported at 72.69 percent for health services, 81.56 percent for primary education, 78.18 percent for secondary education, and 66.91 percent for other government services.
Nationally, about 16.16 percent of citizens faced a dispute or conflict in the last two years, with 83.60 percent accessing formal or informal resolution mechanisms. Of these, 41.34 percent used formal institutions, while 68.96 percent used informal mechanisms.
The findings underscore the need to enhance security, transparency in public administration, service quality, anti-corruption efforts, and inclusive policies to achieve SDG 16 in Bangladesh. The survey assessed progress on six indicators under SDG 16, covering security, governance, public service quality, corruption, justice access, and discrimination.
The questionnaire adhered to international standards set by the United Nations, ensuring data reliability and policy relevance. Data collection was carried out using the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing method, ensuring real-time monitoring and quality control. At the national level, the average household size was four persons, with 81.97 percent male-headed households and 18.03 percent female-headed households.