‘Nothing works without money’

Over one in every 12 households admitted to paying bribes or extortion money in the year between May 2024 and April 2025, according to a new survey.

The number dropped from 8.5 percent before August 2024 to 3.7 percent this April. However, the survey noted the practice remains widespread, with police, political leaders, and government offices being the main recipients.

At least 39 percent of respondents said they had to pay police officials, 33 percent paid political leaders or activists, and nearly half reported payments to government offices. Many said they paid to get faster service, avoid legal hassles, or simply because money was demanded.

The findings were presented at a webinar titled "Economic Dynamics and Mood at Household Level in Mid-2025" organised by Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC). They were based on responses from 33,207 members of 8,067 families.

Households reported a wide range of crises. Nearly 20 percent faced financial struggles, 7 percent were hit by natural disasters, and 2.3 percent reported problems with police or courts, PPRC Executive Chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman, also a former caretaker government adviser, said during the presentation.

Medical expenses were the most common financial burden, troubling two-thirds of the families. Loan repayments came next at 27 percent, followed by education costs at 8 percent. Others mentioned migration costs, legal fees, charity, or bribes for jobs.

Both rural and urban households worried about high treatment costs and expensive medicine. More than half reported high health costs: rural respondents cited expensive treatment (52 percent) and medicine (50.9 percent), while urban respondents reported costly medicine (53.4 percent) and unnecessary tests (51.1 percent).

Legal troubles also weighed heavily, with over half of affected households saying they faced property conflicts and 47 percent caught up in harassment cases. Others reported arrests, detentions, or similar issues.

When asked about daily harassment in getting public services, people highlighted how little works without payment.

Nearly 75 percent said "nothing works without money", 36.4 percent pointed to complex or unnecessary rules, 22.3 percent cited unclear service paths, 21.8 percent delays in decisions, and 19.3 percent inattentive officials.

Across all income groups, rising commodity prices were the most pressing concern. Among the poorest 40 percent of households, 65.6 percent cited price hikes, 48.3 percent reported income drops, and 30 percent faced food insecurity.

For middle-income households, price hikes affected 72.1 percent, income drops 36.8 percent, and capital shortages 30.8 percent. The richest 20 percent were most concerned with price hikes (73.6 percent) and loan repayments (30.5 percent). Rural and urban households shared similar concerns, with price hikes affecting 68.9 and 71.1 percent respectively.

Concerns over children's education amid rising school fees affected 64.5 percent of rural households and 64.6 percent of urban ones. Marriage prospects were a worry for some but ranked lower.

Law and order topped governance concerns, especially for urban and higher-income groups, with bureaucratic corruption a close second. Among low-income families, 41 percent reported corruption, 40.1 percent cited law-and-order issues, and 32.9 percent pointed to lack of justice. Among the richest households, 52.1 percent were concerned with law and order, 41.6 percent with corruption, and 37.2 percent with freedom of speech.

Optimism about the future revealed a clear class divide. Only 1.6 percent of the poorest group felt "very optimistic", compared to 14.4 percent of the richest. About a third of the bottom 10 percent expressed pessimism, while nearly 38 percent of the richest said they were optimistic. Younger people were slightly more hopeful, with 33.17 percent of youth calling themselves optimistic.

Looking ahead, most respondents -- both youth and non-youth -- said they wanted corruption prevented, good governance established, and political violence ended. Among youth, 55.9 percent prioritised fighting corruption, 52.3 percent sought good governance, and 43.9 percent called for an end to political violence. Economic development was the top aspiration for both groups, with 60.9 percent of youth and 62.3 percent of non-youth highlighting it, followed by poverty reduction and better law and order.

Addressing the webinar, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute President M Humayun Kabir, also a former ambassador to the US, said people remain worried about law and order. "We had bureaucratic problems, and people thought these would change, but they haven't. In fact, the situation has become more complex.

"Earlier, people used to go to the police, who would take the case after accepting a bribe. But now the police say they have no power and cannot do anything."

He said this makes finding solutions harder. "Most problems cannot be solved because people do not have money. Justice is out of the people's hands, and that is why they are frustrated and want to be free from corruption."

He added that the reform people want most is proper service at the deputy commissioner's office or police stations, and accountable governance.

Researcher and columnist Altaf Parvez warned that nearly 46 percent of people have "given up hope" after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. He said the survey should also include the voices of women and minorities, who face fear and intimidation.

"We used to say that we must keep our struggle alive. But how long will we continue our struggle? We fought in 1971 and have seen two uprisings since then."

He said that after the July uprising, the social fabric has been torn and a trend of revenge and hatred is visible. "We couldn't accommodate everyone; instead, conflict is growing in the country," he said, adding that the absence of effective local government and a weak interim government has deepened the crisis.

"As a result, we've seen mobs replacing the administration, and false charges being filed across the country," he said, adding that extortion has risen due to a lack of new employment opportunities.

He also said the health sector is facing a new crisis after India imposed visa restrictions, while universities remain unstable and students have yet to return to classes -- something politicians themselves want. Despite the recent student union elections, the situation has not improved.

"Our politicians are now more focused on whether proportional representation will be introduced in the upper house, which has actually kept people in a state of tension," he said.

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue; journalist and researcher Asif Bin Ali; and Bhuiyan M Asaduzzaman, researcher at Dacca Institute of Research & Analytics, also spoke at the event.