The survey in Pakistan is part of the larger cross-national Spring 2013 Pew Global Attitudes survey conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

Results for the survey in Pakistan are based on 1,201 face-to-face interviews conducted March 11 to March 31, 2013. It uses a multi-stage cluster sample stratified by province and urbanity, representing roughly 82% of the adult population. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir were excluded for security reasons as were areas of instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North-West Frontier Province) and Baluchistan — roughly 18% of the population. The sample is disproportionally urban, but the data are weighted to reflect the actual urban/rural distribution in Pakistan. Interviews were conducted in Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki or Sindhi.

The margin of sampling error is ±4.3 percentage points. For the results based on the full sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus the margin of error. In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.