![Profile of Political Bystanders](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/07/FT_14.07.03_Bystanders-2.png?w=138)
Malala Yousafzai’s courageous advocacy for girls’ education has inspired people across the globe, and today she was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. As a student at the school her father ran in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, Malala became a well-known champion for educating girls. And ultimately, she also became a target for the Taliban, who violently oppose schooling for girls. A Taliban gunman shot Malala in October 2012, but today, at age 17, she has recovered from her injuries and now lives in Birmingham, England.
![Most Pakistanis agree with Malala on educating girls](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/10/FT_Pakistan_Update.png)
The vast majority of Pakistanis agree with Malala, not the Taliban, on the issue of girls’ education. In a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 86% said education is equally important for boys and girls. This included 85% of men and 87% of women.
When we asked specifically about Malala in our 2014 poll, we found more Pakistanis expressing positive views about her (30%) than negative views (20%). However, roughly half did not have an opinion – something that could certainly change now that she’s won what is arguably the world’s most high profile honor.
![Negative Ratings for the Taliban in Pakistan](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/10/FT_Pakistan_Update2.png)
Overall, the Taliban has little support in Pakistan. Anti-Taliban sentiments rose sharply in 2009, when, for a time, the militant group took control in much of the Swat Valley, which is within 100 miles of the capital Islamabad.
In 2008, Pakistani views about the Taliban were essentially divided: 27% gave the extremist organization a positive rating, 33% gave it a negative one, and 40% offered no opinion. A year later, seven-in-ten Pakistanis expressed an unfavorable view, and ratings for the Taliban have remained decidedly negative ever since.