Graft, inflation and unemployment topmost concerns among Malaysians, survey finds

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are most concerned about political or financial corruption in the post-pandemic economic recovery period, a survey has found.

The survey by international market research firm Ipsos found that 50% of the sample said corruption remains the most serious concern.

Inflation was a concern for 40% of the respondents, while unemployment and jobs weighed on the minds of 34%.

“The top three issues concerning Malaysians – political/financial corruption, inflation and unemployment – have stabilised at their (current) levels since January.

“Despite government attempts to rein in inflation, it remains persistent as the second most worrying concern in Malaysia every month since June,” Ipsos Public Affairs senior research manager Azamat Ababakirov said on Thursday (Aug 24).

He also said a downward trend in consumer purchase intentions was seen since the start of the year.

“Consumer purchase intentions for household and big-ticket items have been on a downward trend since the beginning of this year,” Ababakirov said.

The trend dropped from 56% of respondents planning household purchases in January to 44% in July.

However, Ababakirov said Malaysians remained optimistic about the country's direction.

The survey found that 60% of Malaysians believed the country was on the right track as of July.

This was, however, a drop from 74% in January.