Before-and-after Nepal’s GenZ movement

The 2022 Survey of the Nepali People was conducted in July, just weeks after the formation of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The follow-up in January-February 2026 gauged public reaction to the GenZ protest movement of September 2025, providing a rare before-and-after window into how a citizen-led political rupture reshapes perceptions of governance and accountability.

Findings from the survey highlight the dominance of corruption as a public concern. A clear majority of respondents believed that corruption had increased, making it the most frequently cited national problem.

Economic concerns followed closely, with nearly half reporting difficulties earning a living or finding employment and over a third expressing concern about the country's worsening economic condition. Rising prices of essential goods were also widely cited. Although concerns about poverty and deteriorating infrastructure were mentioned less frequently, they remained important issues for a substantial share of the population.

Trend analysis reveals a dramatic transformation in public perception of corruption. In the early rounds of the SNP survey, relatively few respondents identified corruption as a major national problem, with economic issues receiving greater attention. But concern about corruption rose sharply in 2020, remained elevated in 2022, and reached its highest levels in the 2025 survey and Follow-up survey.

The Survey showed that nearly 54% of respondents were optimistic about the GenZ movement moving the country in the right direction, with $0% disagreeing.

However, the follow-up this year found that only 17.5% percent of respondents thought the country was moving in the right direction, down from 23.7% before September 2025, with 70% saying they thought the country was going the wrong way.

Perception of corruption rose from 58.9% to 63.4% after the GenZ protests with 40.5% saying the economy was not doing well – up from 32.9% last year. Respondents saying that conditions in their local regions had improved plummeted to 10.1% compared to 54.4% before the GenZ movement.

Respondents also felt that health and education services had deteriorated in the past year. Most respondents were aware of the GenZ movement and nearly 80% felt it was a response to high level of corruption, while 63% thought it was triggered by the ban on social media platforms. 

PERCEPTION OR REALITY?

The Survey results on corruption raises an important question: has corruption actually increased, or is it the public perception of corruption that has increased?

Public perception is often shaped not only by direct experience but also by broader social, political, and economic influences. One key factor is the rapid expansion of internet access and social media use in Nepal since 2022. Greater digital connectivity enabled more citizens to access news, commentary, and public debates on governance. Social media platforms, in particular, have amplified discussions around misconduct and abuse of power.