Islamabad: A larger number of young Pakistanis believe the country should be governed by Islamic law or military rule rather than democracy, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Pakistan is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on May 11 as the previous government completed its five-year term.

But a survey by the British Council found that young Pakistanis — defined as those between the ages of 18 and 29 — have grown more pessimistic about the future over this period, as the country has struggled with a weak economy, high inflation, pervasive energy shortages and a deadly Taliban insurgency.

About 94 per cent of young Pakistanis believe the country is going in the wrong direction, compared with 86 per cent in 2009, the study found. Less than a quarter believe democracy has benefited themselves or their families.

Given these figures, it is perhaps not surprising to find relatively low levels of support for democracy among the youth. Only 29 per cent of young Pakistanis believe democracy is the best political system for the country, according to the poll.

“Look at this government that just completed its term. What did it give to people?” Waseem Qureshi, a 24-year-old call centre worker in Islamabad, said.

Qureshi said Islamic law, or Shariah, would be better suited for Pakistan. Around 38 per cent of young Pakistanis agreed with him, according to the poll.

Military rule also came out ahead of democracy, with 32 per cent support, despite the turbulent history of the army toppling civilian governments in coups. The survey found that the army enjoys much higher levels of support among people, 77 per cent, than the civilian government, 14 per cent.

“Military rule is better than democracy, at least compared to what we have experienced in recent times,” Uzair Bashir, a 20-year-old university student in Karachi, said.

He cited the era of Gen Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup in 1999, left Pakistan in self-imposed exile in 2008 and recently returned to the country to run in elections.

“During his rule youngsters had job opportunities, security was far better than today, economic conditions were good and there was less inflation,” said Bashir.

The three forms of government in the survey were offered as distinct choices, although in theory, Islamic law could be implemented in conjunction with either democracy or military rule.

Despite having a relatively low opinion of democracy, Pakistan’s bulging youth population could be influential in the upcoming election. More than 30 per cent of registered voters, or more than 25 million, are between the ages of 18 and 29, and many will be voting for the first time, the report said.