A recent Afrobarometer survey indicated that the majority of Gambians are of the view that their country is heading in the wrong direction and want the government to prioritize the economy and public service delivery.
“Six in 10 Gambians (60%) say the country is heading in “the wrong direction,” double the proportion recorded in 2018 (29%),” the survey stated.
The finding also showed that living poverty and personal living conditions of citizens have worsened since 2018, as have popular assessments of the government’s performance on economic management, infrastructure, and basic services.
“Only a quarter (25%) of Gambians describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly good” or “very good,” less than half the approval rate in 2018 (58%).
“The proportion who describe their personal living conditions as “fairly good” or “very good” has also decreased drastically, from 66% in 2018 to 35%.
“The proportion of Gambians who say they went without basic necessities such as enough food, enough water, and medical care during the previous year increased significantly compared to 2018.
“Health (39%), management of the economy (38%), water supply (27%), and education (26%) are the most important problems that citizens want the government to address.
“The share of respondents who cite management of the economy as a priority problem has more than doubled since 2018.
“Citizens’ ratings of the government’s performance on the economy, infrastructure, and basic services have declined sharply over the past three years.
“Approval ratings for the performance of key government leaders have also declined since 2018. Overall direction of the country Six in 10 Gambians (60%) believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, while only a minority (38%) see it as moving in the right direction,” other key findings of the survey stated.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Seven rounds of surveys were completed in up to 38 countries between 1999 and 2018. Round 8 surveys cover 34 countries. During the surveys, the firm conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in the Gambia interviewed a nationally representative, random, stratified probability sample of 1, 200 adult Gambians in January and February 2021. A previous Afrobarometer survey was conducted in The Gambia in 2018.
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