Publication

This publication looks at how political violence affects political behavior by drawing upon the findings of a survey of more than 1,800 residents of Karachi conducted during the run-up to Pakistan’s July 2018 elections. Key insights include 1) that Karachi, which is normally a site of political violence, saw relative levels of calm leading up to the elections, partly because of an ongoing government paramilitary operation against criminal and terrorist actors; 2) individuals exposed to violence were less likely to trust that elections would be free and fair, and more likely to expect and fear electoral violence; 3) exposure to violence was correlated with higher levels of intolerance, a troubling finding in violent, multiethnic contexts such as Karachi, and more.