However, the report also shows substantial opposition to the electronic transactions levy (E-levy), with 79% of respondents calling for its removal.

When asked about urgent national issues, unemployment topped the list, with 41% identifying it as the most pressing concern. Infrastructure and road development were close behind at 38%, while healthcare ranked third, with 33% of respondents considering it a top priority.

These findings highlight a public focus on job creation, improved connectivity, and essential services.

The report further illustrates the economic hardships faced by many Ghanaians: 82% reported some level of poverty over the past year, with 45% experiencing moderate to severe economic distress—a sharp rise from 19% in 2017.

Additionally, 70% of respondents reported going without cash income at least once in the past year, with many also facing shortages in essential services, including medical care (54%), water (44%), food (44%), and cooking fuel (42%).

Less than half (45%) expect economic conditions to improve in the next year, and ratings of the government’s economic performance have declined, reflecting frustration with the rising cost of living and limited access to essential services.

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This comes 141 days to the 2024 December polls to select a new President and parliamentarians for the country.

Details of the Afrobarometer report suggested a massive decline in democracy satisfaction among countries in Africa, with Ghana experiencing a double digit decline. In 2011/2013, the percentage of Ghanaians that were satisfied with democracy stood at 74%.

However, 10 years later (2021/2023), the rate has decreased to 51% indicating a 23 percentage points decline. This shows a decreasing popularity of democracy among Ghanaian folks over the years.

The Afrobarometer report also revealed some disparities between the youth and the elderly in terms of support for democracy in Africa.

According to the report, the youth expressed a greater willingness to tolerate military rule compared to elderly citizens. “…although Africa’s youth differ little from their elders in their support for democracy, they express a greater willingness to tolerate military intervention.” the report said

This was evident in Ghana as well as there was some willingness to accept military intervention if need be. Comparing the rejection-of-military rule in 2011/2013 and 2021/2023, the rate has decreased significantly from 86% to 68%. This shows a decrease in the rejection of military rule among the Ghanaian people.

The Afrobarometer report emphasised that, “…Ghana’s much heralded reputation for clean elections has been tarnished by increased violence, with eight fatalities during the 2020 presidential polls, and President Nana Akufo-Addo has grown increasingly heavy-handed, stifling the media and eroding the accountability of institutions”.

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The report, titled “African Insights 2024: Democracy at Risk – the People’s Perspective,” reveals that African youth are significantly less likely to express their dissatisfaction and preferences at the ballot box.

Additionally, the report highlights that African youth lag behind older generations by 7 to 12 percentage points in other forms of political engagement.

“But like young citizens throughout the world, young Africans are significantly less likely than their elders to express their dissatisfaction and preferences at the ballot box: 63% of those old enough to vote in their country’s last election say they did so, compared to 78%-84% of older cohorts

“They also trail by 7-12 percentage points in other forms of political engagement, such as joining others to raise an issue and contacting a local government councillor. Taken together, these deficits suggest that the voices of young Africans are not yet fully heard in the continent’s policy processes.”

According to the report, African youth have identified unemployment and economic management as their top priorities, urging governments to take urgent action to address these issues.

“African youth (aged 18-35) rank unemployment and management of the economy as their top priorities for urgent government action, and large majorities see their governments as failing on these issues (Sanny, van Wyk-Khosa, & Asunka, 2023),” Afrobarometer stated in its report.

It added that almost two-thirds (64%) of youth prefer democracy over other kinds of government.

“On average, almost two-thirds (64%) of youth prefer democracy over any other kind of government. They join older cohorts in rejecting dictatorship (80%) and military rule (65%) but are more likely to accept military takeovers “when elected leaders abuse power for their own ends” (56% of youth vs. 47% of those over age 55).”

“Youth are more likely than their elders to see “most” or “all” officials in the Presidency as corrupt (40%) and to be dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country (60%).”

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Furthermore, 71% of Africans who report corruption to authorities risk facing retaliation.

The report also highlights that nearly six out of ten African citizens believe corruption levels in their countries have increased over the past year, including in South Africa.

According to the report, 82% of South Africans and 87% of citizens in Eswatini perceive a rise in corruption.

Only three countries, Benin (70%), Mali (64%), and Zambia (53%), recorded majorities who believe corruption has decreased.

Afrobarometer emphasizes the negative impact of official corruption on public support for democracy. The findings indicate that the problem of corruption is perceived to be worsening by ordinary Africans.

The report also sheds light on the widespread perception of corruption among government appointees, MPs, the judiciary, and civil servants.

In up to 30 countries, 38% of respondents believe “most” or “all” officials in their president’s office are corrupt, an increase of 13 percentage points since 2011/2013.

Perceptions of corruption have also increased for members of Parliament (+11 points) and the judiciary (+8 points), with marginal increases for local government councillors and civil servants.

The report surveyed 39 countries across Africa, providing a comprehensive overview of the continent’s corruption trends and perceptions.

According to the latest Afrobarometer survey conducted by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, Ghanaians are increasingly looking to both ordinary citizens and the government to take responsibility for reducing pollution and safeguarding the environment.

Pollution is a matter of serious concern for the majority of Ghanaians, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents considering it a “somewhat serious” or “very serious” problem in their communities.

The survey identified trash disposal, sanitation, and water pollution as the most critical environmental issues affecting the daily lives of citizens.

Notably, plastic bags were identified as a major source of pollution by a significant 81% of respondents.

When it comes to addressing these environmental challenges, Ghanaians believe that the responsibility falls primarily on local citizens.

Approximately 57% of respondents stated that it is the duty of ordinary individuals to reduce pollution and maintain cleanliness in their communities.

In contrast, fewer respondents placed the responsibility on local (21%) or national (14%) government bodies.

However, the survey also revealed a sense of disappointment among Ghanaians regarding the government’s performance in tackling pollution and protecting the environment.

Only 29% of respondents believed that the government is doing a good job, while a significant majority of 66% expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s efforts in this regard.

The findings of the Afrobarometer survey highlight the urgent need for collective action and greater government intervention to address environmental concerns in Ghana.

Citizens are looking to one another and the government to work collaboratively to find sustainable solutions.

The responsibility for waste management, pollution control, and environmental protection should be shared between citizens and the government to achieve tangible results.

Environmental organizations and activists in Ghana have long been advocating for stronger regulations, public awareness campaigns, and investment in infrastructure to combat pollution and protect the country’s natural resources.

This survey reinforces the need for these measures and emphasizes the importance of effective waste management, improved sanitation systems, and stricter regulations on plastic bag usage.

As Ghana moves forward, it is crucial for all stakeholders to recognize their roles and work towards a cleaner and greener future.

By promoting a culture of environmental responsibility, fostering public-private partnerships, and implementing sustainable practices, Ghana can take significant strides towards preserving its natural beauty and ensuring a healthier environment for future generations.

Afrobarometer surveys continue to provide valuable insights into the opinions and concerns of Ghanaians, helping policymakers, environmental organizations, and the public at large to better understand the issues and take appropriate action.

About 87 per cent of Ghanaians said the economy was “heading in the wrong direction” with 50 per cent, saying that economic conditions in the country were bound to get worse in the next 12 months.

This is against the 25 per cent who were optimistic that economic conditions would be much better in a year time and 11 per cent, who said the country was heading in the right direction.

These were findings of the Round 9 of the Afrobarometer survey which sampled the views of 2,400 adult citizens across all 16 regions.

Sample was distributed across areas in proportion to their share in the national population.

Fieldwork was conducted between April 4 to April 20, 2022, and respondents were randomly selected for face-to-face interviews in a language of their choice.

It was revealed that 85 per cent of respondents had described the present economic conditions as fairly or very bad with 72 per cent, describing their personal conditions as same.

Meanwhile, 70 per cent of respondents as against 20 per cent who think otherwise have observed that the economy had deteriorated within the last 12 months.

With only 18 per cent of respondents assessing government to have performed fairly or very well as against 71 per cent in 2017 and 51 per cent in 2019, about 49 per cent of respondents say that managing the economy is the most important challenge for government to resolve in the country.

Respondents, therefore, respectively want government to make economic management, unemployment, and infrastructure the top three policy priorities of the country, the study showed.

A study of poverty levels had shown a steady decrease of low/no lived poverty levels among respondents from 81 per cent in 2017 to 67 per cent in 2022 as against a steady increase in moderate/high lived poverty level of 19 per cent in 2017 to 33 per cent in 2022.

The last time a huge majority of respondents said the country was heading in the wrong direction was in 2014, a year before Ghana entered its last International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme in 2015.

About 85 per cent of respondents as against 15 per cent in the round 6 survey said the Government was heading in the wrong direction.

So far, eight survey rounds in up to 39 African countries have been completed since 1999 with Round 9 surveys currently underway on the continent.

The survey is aimed at giving the public a voice in policy making by providing high-quality public opinion data to stakeholders.

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan, non-profit survey research network that provides reliable data on Africans’ experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.

Former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged political parties to take the Afrobarometer report serious because it is their textbook for governance.

According to Chairman Allotey Jacobs, it is important for political parties to take cues from the report instead of criticising it.

“Gone are the days when we all criticised the Afrobarometer report but on a hindsight, it is important to look at those sides that would benefit us and learn from it,” he urged.

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Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Tuesday, he said parties must endeavor to build strategies from the reports.

“It is a textbook for the two major parties and depends on having a third eye to read and strategise to take advantage of the report to make something big out of it,” he asserted.

The comments of Mr Jacobs follow the release of portions of the 2019 Afrobarometer report on the views of Ghanaians on the incumbent government’s performance and its alternative, the NDC.

Listen to Allotey Jacobs in audio above:

Source: Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

The Afrobarometer survey which questioned citizens on which of the parties they would vote for should the elections be held tomorrow, discovered that more than four in 10 Ghanaians will not vote, don’t know how to vote or are not comfortable with disclosing that information.

The responses in the above categories, outnumbered the numerous supporters who openly declared their loyalty to the two major political parties; National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The survey results also show that people who said they would not vote have increased by 6% since 2017 and has been the highest since 2008.

According to the report, people still need convincing on who to vote for in the coming months for the country’s 2020 Presidential elections.

Read Afrobarometer’s full report below.

In its latest Afrobarometer report which was commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) it has been revealed that the intimidation of opposition political parties and the violations of electoral laws have facilitated the swift establishment of these community-based vigilante groups.

In the communities sampled, the survey found that the Bolga Bulldogs, Burma Camp, Dazota, Invincible Forces and Anointing’s Boys – all affiliated to the governing NPP – were active.

The rest are Kandahar Boys, Delta Forces, Bamba Boys and Alidu Mafias.

For the opposition NDC, it was found that The Hawks, Aluta Boys, No Weapon, Salifu 11, Cyborg killers, Taskforce has active operations.

In July, government passed into law the Vigilantism and Related Offences Bill, 2019.

The purpose of the law is to disband political party vigilante groups and forbid acts of vigilantism in the country, following the continuous violence that has characterised the country’s by-elections.

By-elections in Atiwa, Akwatia, Chereponi, Talensi, Amenfi West and more recently, Ayawaso West Wuogon, have all been marred by acts of violence.

The law applies to persons who participate in the activities of a vigilante group that is associated, related, connected or affiliated to a political party, political party officials, or a political party member.

It also applies to persons who act as land guards and those who engage in other acts of vigilantism.

But it appears despite this ban, the activities of these groups are still ongoing in various communities across the country.

The CDD-Ghana report found that few people were aware and knowledge about the vigilantism law.

“Respondents generally believe the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act (2019) will not work due to the existence of laws that have the tendency to effectively deal with any type of crime.

“The absence of political will to enforce laws and corrupt practices from police officers will render the enforcement of laws ineffective,” the survey noted.

The lack of jobs, rewards for services, recognition within political party and protection from the law were some of the reasons given by the respondents for joining the vigilante groups.