What People Want from Governments

WWW.AFROBAROMETER.ORG

What people want from governments Water & sanitation services and basic health care biggest performance issues

www.afrobarometer.org


Afrobarometer Explained

The Afrobarometer (AB) is a comparative series of public opinion surveys that measure public attitudes toward democracy, governance, the economy, leadership, identity, and other related issues. The AB is an independent, non-partisan, African-based network of researchers. The first round of surveys took place in 1999-2001 in 12 countries. The Network is now conducting “Round 5” surveys in up to 35 countries during 2011-2013. Purpose: To measure popular perspectives on the social, political, and economic environments in each country where it is implemented and across Africa. Goal: To give the public a voice in policy making processes by providing high-quality public opinion data to policy-makers, policy advocates and civil society organizations, academics, media, donors and investors, and ordinary Africans.

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Survey Scope

Round 1, 1999-2001, 12 countries

Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa,

Zambia, Zimbabwe

West Africa: Ghana, Mali, Nigeria

East Africa: Tanzania, Uganda

Round 2, 2002-2003, 16 countries, adding:

Cape Verde, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal


Benin, Madagascar


Burkina Faso, Liberia

Round 5, 2011-2013, up to 35 countries, adding:

Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Togo, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland

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Who is Afrobarometer

A Pan-African Network of survey researchers and analysts.

In each country there is a National Partner responsible for survey implementation.

Four Core Partners provide technical assistance and Network management:

Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana

Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), South Africa

Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi, Kenya

Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IREEP), Benin

Two Support Units for capacity building and quality assurance

Michigan State University

University of Cape Town

Round 5 Core Funders include

DFID

SIDA

USAID

Mo Ibrahim Foundation

World Bank 4


Survey Methodology

• Nationally representative sample of adult citizens

– all respondents are randomly selected

– every adult citizen has an equal and known chance of being selected

• Face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice

• Standard survey instrument across all countries for comparability

• These 34-country results therefore represent the views of approximately three-quarters (76%) of the continent’s population with a margin of error of +/-2% at a 95% confidence level.

• The total number of respondents in the 34 countries was 51,605.

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Global Dissemination Events

• 1 October 2013 - Lived poverty and the Economy

• 16 October 2013 Globalization and the Freedom to Communicate

• 13 November 2013 Corruption & the Poor

• 12 December Government Services & Resource Management

• 23 January Taxation

• 19 February 2013 Gender

• 12 March 2013 Democracy

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Face to Face

Interviews in 34

Countries

Finding out what the people have to day

7


PEOPLE CRY OUT FOR BASIC NEEDS


Dissatisfaction with public services

56 55

41 37

20

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60% W

ate

r &

san

ita

tio

n

Po

we

r

sup

ply

Imp

rov

ing

ba

sic

he

alth

serv

ice

s

Ad

dre

sin

g

ed

uc

atio

n

ne

ed

s

Co

mb

att

ing

HIV

/AID

S

Participants were asked: “How well or badly would you say the

current government is handling the following matters, or haven’t you

heard enough to say?” (% who said fairly or very badly)

Highs & Low: Water & Sanitation Performance Ratings

78 75

71 71 69

56

49 47 43

38

31 28

23

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Eg

yp

t

Ca

me

roo

n

Nig

eria

Tun

isia

Tog

o

Me

an

Leso

tho

Sie

rra

Le

on

e

So

uth

Afr

ica

Ma

uritiu

s

Bo

tsw

an

a

Ma

law

i

Alg

eria

“How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or

haven’t you heard enough to say?...water & sanitation” (% fairly or very badly)

Dissatisfied Customers: High & Lows on Power Supply

80 80 78 77 74 72

55

43 40 36 35

31

19

4

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Zim

ba

bw

e

Gu

ine

a

Ug

an

da

Lib

eria

Ma

da

ga

sca

r

Bu

run

di

Me

an

Su

da

n

Sie

rra

Le

on

e

Ke

nya

So

uth

Afr

ica

Bo

tsw

an

a

Alg

eria

Ma

uritiu

s

“How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or haven’t you heard enough to say?...power supply” (% fairly or very badly)

High & Lows: States’ School Performance

79

68 63 63

56 53

42 37

28

23

17 16

9 8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% Eg

yp

t

Tun

isia

Mo

roc

co

Su

da

n

Se

ne

ga

l

Nig

eria

Ma

da

ga

sca

r

Me

an

Leso

tho

Na

mib

ia

Sw

azi

lan

d

Bo

tsw

an

a

Ma

uritiu

s

Bu

run

di

How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or haven’t you heard enough to say?...public education” (% fairly or very badly)

Highs & Lows: Dissatisfaction with Health Care

83

71 67 64

58 57 56

41

31 29 29 24

15 15 14 13

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Eg

yp

t

Tun

isia

Mo

roc

co

Su

da

n

Gu

ine

a

Tan

zan

ia

Se

ne

ga

l

Me

an

Zim

ba

bw

e

Sie

rra

Le

on

e

Leso

tho

Na

mib

ia

Bo

tsw

an

a

Ma

uritiu

s

Sw

azi

lan

d

Bu

run

di

“How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following

matters, or haven’t you heard enough to say?...basic health services” (% who said fairly or very badly)


HIV/AIDs Performance Rating

Exceeds All Others: Highs & Lows

94 92 88 87 85 84 82

69

48 40 38

18 13

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Bo

tsw

an

a

Sw

azi

lan

d

Bu

run

di

Na

mib

ia

Ca

me

roo

n

Zim

ba

bw

e

Ma

uritiu

s

Me

an

Leso

tho

Ma

da

ga

sca

r

Mo

roc

co

Tun

isia

Eg

yp

t

“How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or haven’t you heard enough to say?...combating HIV/AIDS” (% fairly or very well)


Key Findings: Basic Service

Performance

• High dissatisfaction with provision of public services: more than half say government has done fairly or very badly in providing a reliable power supply or clean water

and sanitation services.

• Health service delivery and education attract

higher approval rates: A large minority (41%) say

government has done fairly or very badly at improving basic

health services while only 37% disapprove of states’ school

performance.

• HIV/AIDS performance attracts high approval rates:

A sizeable majority (69%) say government has done fairly or

very well combatting HIV/AIDS.


GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE OVER TIME

Developing or Diminishing?

Government Performance Ratings |2002 to 2012| 16 Countries

Only the assessment of governments’ AIDS/HIV work has improved in the 16

countries that Afrobarometer has surveyed since 2002

62 59

68

62

51

43

41

38

65

74

20%

40%

60%

80%

2002 2005 2008 2012

Improving basic health services Addressing educational needs Providing water/ sanitation services

Providing reliable electric supply Combatting HIV/AIDS

Health Ratings Decline in 4 States |2002 to 2012

72

43

%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Circa 2002 Circa 2005 Circa 2008 Circa 2012

Kenya Mali Uganda Tanzania


Key Findings: Performance

Assessment Changes Over Time

• Declining approval ratings of basic health services: across 16 countries in which data are available, approval ratings of education, health services, and

water and sanitation services have declined since 2002.

The decline in health ratings is particularly pronounced in

Tanzania and Uganda from 2002 to 2012.

• Rising approval ratings of combatting HIV/AIDS: In

contrast to declining ratings of basic service provision,

the over-time trend in assessments of government performance in combatting HIV/AIDS is positive.


EASE OF ACCESS TO SERVICE RATINGS

People rate their ability to access medical care & schools


People Find Obtaining Some Services

Challenging: Primary Schools Easiest to Access

Participants were asked: “Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services from government? Or do you never try and get these services from government?”(% who said fairly or very difficult)

64

27

44

33

70

55

0

20

40

60

80

Piped water, electricity

and phone

Placement in public

primary school

Treatment in public health

facilities

pe

rce

nt

Difficult/very difficult Easy/very easy

Highs & Lows: Primary School in Reach for Most

“Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services from government? Or do you never try and get these services from government?” (% who said fairly or very easy)

3 7 10 13 11

27

42 44

48

71

82

96 91 89 86 84

70

46 52 49

28

14

0

20

40

60

80

100

Alg

eria

Ma

uritiu

s

Nig

er

Bu

run

di

Bo

tsw

an

a

Av

era

ge

Eg

yp

t

Lib

eria

Gu

ine

a

Mo

zam

biq

ue

Ca

pe

Ve

rde

pe

rce

nt


High & Low: Difficulties Accessing Water & Power

“Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services from government? Or do you never try and get these services from government?” (% who said fairly or very difficult)

6

16 17 18 25

44

65 68 71

76 79

94

84 82 81 75

55

35 31

26 24 19

0

20

40

60

80

100

Ma

uritiu

s

Sw

azi

lan

d

Alg

eria

Bo

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an

a

Na

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ia

Av

era

ge

Se

ne

ga

l

Su

da

n

Eg

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Gu

ine

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Mo

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pe

rce

nt



Key Findings: Service Accessibility

• A substantial majority (64%) has difficulty accessing

piped water, electricity, and phone services.

• A sizeable minority (44%) has difficulty accessing

health services or obtaining placement in primary

schools (27%).

• While easy access to public primary education is

reportedly high in Algeria, Niger and Mauritius,

fewer than 30% of Cape Verdeans and

Mozambicans say they have easy access to

placements in public primary schools.


PUBLIC SERVICE PROFILE

What services are most missing?


State of the Schools Ratings

Participants were asked: “Have you encountered any of these

problems with your public schools during the past 12 months?”

(% who said selected each option)

47 50

54 55 57 61

52

45 42 42 41

36

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Services too

expensive

Poor teaching Absent

teachers

Poor conditions

of facilities

Lack of

textbooks or

other supplies

Overcrowded

classrooms

At least once No problems

Health Care Experiences

Participants were asked: “Have you encountered any of these problems with

your local public clinic or hospital during the past 12 months?” (% who chose

each option)

46 51

55 57

69

77

51 48

43 42

31

22

0

20

40

60

80

Dirty

facilities

Services

too

expensive

Absent

doctors

Lack of

attention or

respect

from staff

Lack of

medicines

or other

supplies

Long

waiting

time

pe

rce

nt

At least once No problem


Key Findings: Service Quality

• Majorities of users identify serious shortcomings in service delivery, including long wait times (77%) and lack of medicines or supplies (69%) in public clinics and hospitals, and overcrowded classrooms (61%) and lack of textbooks and supplies (57%) in schools.

• Overtime, approval ratings have declined across 16 countries in which data are available. In contrast, nearly 7 in 10 Africans (69%) approve government performance in combating HIV/AIDS, and the over-time trend in assessments is positive


Thank you!

This presentation is based on a briefing by Joseph Asunka

[email protected]

Government & Nonprofit

What People Want from Governments