AFROBAROMETER ROUND 2

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What is Afrobarometer?
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• The Afrobarometer is an independent, non-partisan
  survey research project coordinated by the Centre
  for Democratic Development
• (CDD-Ghana), the Institute for Democracy in South
  Africa (Idasa) and Michigan State University
  (MSU)

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• Implemented through a network of national
  research partners, Afrobarometer surveys measure
  the social, economic and political atmosphere of
  societies in transition in West, East and
  Southern Africa.

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Why is Afrobarometer Important?

• The opinions of ordinary Africans are scarcely
  solicited
• By asking their opinions on important issues
  affecting them, Afrobarometer gives voice to
  Africans
• Because the same questions are asked every three
  years or so, Afrobarometer can compare findings
  across countries and track changes over time.

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How is Afrobarometer data gathered?
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• Afrobarometer takes a representative sample of
  the adult population in each country
• Face to face interviews are conducted in the
  languages spoken by the respondent i.e. Twi,
  Swahili, Yoruba, Wollof
• In round 2, over 23,000 people were interviewed
  in 15 African countries in 2002 and 2003 (21,000
  people were asked similar questions in the round
  1 survey in 1999 and 2001)

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Caveat

• The Afrobarometer does not represent Africa as a
  whole but countries that have introduced a
  measure of democratic and market reform in recent
  years. Thus, when we refer to "Africans," we
  have this limited population (15 African
  countries) in mind.

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Key findings
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What do Africans say about their political
conditions?
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• Africans express favourable opinions about
  democracy

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Two thirds of all adults say they support
democracy
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Larger proportions reject military rule and
dictatorship
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• Africans consider themselves better off under
  the new democratic governments than they were
  under the previous non-democratic regimes

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However
Popular commitment to and positive evaluations of
democracy have declined in some countries
Note Results for Ghana and Botswana exclude
dont knows.
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Declines tend to occur in countries where
governing parties have stayed longest in power,
such as Zambia, Malawi and South Africa.
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and people tend to feel more positive about
democracy in countries (Senegal, Kenya, Ghana,
Mali, and Lesotho) where there has been recent
electoral changeover
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Thus

• Popular commitment to democracy tends to decline
  as the enthusiasm of political transitions of the
  1990s begin to fade
• But, democratic political change-over and/or
  improvements in government performance renew
  public commitment to democracy

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What do Africans say about their economic
conditions?
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• Africans express considerable discontent with
  their economic conditions

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• Levels of deprivation are generally high

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A disturbing proportion lack access to food
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A disturbing percentage lack access to clean water
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Many cannot access medicines or medical care
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Access to fuel to cook remains inadequate
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A substantial number lack cash incomes
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Chronic unemployment underlines African economic
discontentment
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Africans generally conclude that

• Economic reforms have made their lives worse,
  rather than better

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Nevertheless

• Hope prevails Africans believe that their
  children will lead better lives than themselves

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How optimistic are Africans? Will Your Children
Be Better Off Than You?
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More over Economic patience has increased over
the past four years

• Which of the following statements is closest to
  your view?
• The costs of reforming the economy are too high
  the government should therefore abandon its
  current economic policies
• In order for the economy to get better in the
  future, it is necessary for us to accept some
  hardships now.

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What do Africans think about HIV/AIDS?
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• HIV/AIDS appears to be taking a toll on Africans.
  Large proportions of people (especially in east
  and southern Africa) have either lost family or
  friends to the pandemic, or suffered significant
  AIDS related burdens

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• Yet ordinary Africans do not share the experts
  forecasts of the dire consequences of the
  pandemic

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Consequently

• Africans are undecided about whether their
  governments should divert resources from other
  priorities to fight AIDS in their country
• Except Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa,
  African publics are not convinced that AIDS
  constitutes a public health problems worthy of
  government attention

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For example AIDS versus health as a priority
issue
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Furthermore

• Poor people demote AIDS to the level of a low
  priority problem behind more immediate pressing
  concerns like jobs or hunger

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Policy implications
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• Democratic power alternation and improved
  performance of government increases popular
  commitment and support for democracy
• Unless economic reforms translate into job
  creation it would be difficult to sustain and/or
  increase citizens support for these reforms
• Lack of popular demand for attention to AIDS
  should not be taken to mean that AIDS is not an
  important issue to warrant Government action

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Comparing Mali Results to other African Countries
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AIDS IS A LOW PRIORITY HEALTH ISSUE FOR
MALIANS Mali is least concerned with AIDS
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Definition of Poverty
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Lack of food is a more defining feature of
poverty in Mali than other African Countries
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However, Malian poverty trends are generally
consistent with African trends
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Attitudes to command control versus free market
economies
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Malian preference for government-run economy is
higher than the average African
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In addition, Malian approval of CC system is
higher than the African average
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Attitudes towards free-market valuesMalians
embrace of free market values is higher than the
African average
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Malians demonstrate slightly more moderate
leanings towards communitarianism than the
African average, but they have less extreme
leanings than the African average
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Attitudes to Economic Reforms
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Even though Malians are consistently more
supportive of abandoning economic reforms than
African countries on average, their views are not
glaringly divergent from the African norm
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Democracy as the preferred system of governance
Malian support for Democracy is higher than the
African average
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Military rule as the preferred system of
governanceMalian Support for Military rule is
higher than African Average
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Womens RightsMalian support for womens rights
is remarkably lower than African average
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Violent ConflictsMalians experience with
violent conflict in the communities is less than
the than African average
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On the average, ethnic, political, and religious
factors are more pervasive causes of conflicts in
other African countries than in Mali.
Boundary/land disputes however, are considerably
more serious sources of violence in Mali than in
other African countries
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Malian attitudes to violence generally mirrors
that of the African average
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• We gratefully acknowledge support for the
  Afrobarometers research, capacity-building and
  outreach activities, from, among others, the
  Swedish International Development Cooperation
  Agency, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
  Affairs, and the U.S. Agency for International
  Development.
• For more information, see www.afrobarometer.org
• Or contact
• Tanya Shanker (27-021-467-5600
  tanya_at_idasact.org.za) (South Africa),
• Edem Selormey (233-21-776142 edem_at_cddghana.org)
  (Ghana),
  or
  Carolyn Logan (1-517-432-0214 clogan_at_msu.edu)
  (USA).
• For comment,
• contact Bob Mattes (27-083-234-0333)
  bob_at_idasact.org.za or Paul Graham
• (17-082-571-3887) (South Africa),
• E. Gyimah-Boadi (233-21-776142 gyimah_at_cddghana.org
  ) (Ghana),
• or Michael Bratton (1-517-351-7264
  mbratton_at_msu.edu) (USA).

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