Public Opinion Surveys

The Sri Lanka Barometer (SLB) initiative comprises of three strongly interlinked work areas, with the SLB nationally representative public opinion surveys on reconciliation and social cohesion at the heart of its efforts.

SLB Public Opinion Surveys

The Sri Lanka Barometer (SLB) National Public Opinion Surveys on Reconciliation are nationally representative public opinion surveys conducted by the SLB initiative every two years. The Surveys provide a holistic view of people’s perceptions on reconciliation-related issues in Sri Lanka.

The survey findings are presented and compared over the years to track broader societal trends in people’s opinions over time. The baseline survey was conducted in 2020, followed by a survey in 2021, commencing the regular two-year survey interval. The newest iteration presents 2023 data and will be followed by the next survey iteration in 2025.

After a one year embargo period, researchers may reach out to the SLB to receive the full data sets for further analysis. The SLB is further working on making the data accessible through an online data analysis tool.

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SLB Snapshot Surveys

The SLB Snapshot Surveys complement the regular SLB Public Opinion Surveys by zoning in on one particular topical issue and are implemented on a more ad-hoc basis.

In 2022, the SLB conducted the first Snapshot Survey “Sri Lanka’s 2022 Crisis and Social Cohesion” to explore how the crisis impacted issues related to social cohesion and reconciliation in five areas: political engagement, inclusiveness of the Aragalaya, inter-ethnic relationships, addressing past injustices, confidence in political leadership.

The scope of the Snapshot Surveys is smaller than that of the regular SLB, asking a smaller number of questions from a smaller nationally representative sample. The sample of the 2022 Snapshot Survey comprised of 1,018 individuals aged 18 years and over and has a maximum error margin of three percent at the national level.

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