83% Emaswati satisfied with Government COVID-19 response
Eswatini, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows that most citizens are satisfied with the government’s overall management of the pandemic even though many found it difficult to comply with lockdown restrictions and most felt that the schools were closed for too long. 83% Emaswati satisfied with Government COVID-19 response and
90% were satisfied that Government is keeping Emaswati informed
Key highlights from the report :
While most Emaswati agree that lockdown restrictions and school closures were necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19, half (49%) say they found it difficult to comply with the restrictions, and nine out of 10 (93%) say the schools were closed for too long.
▪ Only three in 10 citizens (29%) say their household received special government assistance during the pandemic. Two-thirds (65%) say pandemic-related assistance was distributed unfairly.
▪ Overall, most citizens are satisfied with the government’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 response (83%) and keep the public informed (90%).
However, only 38% say they trust official COVID-19 statistics, and more than three-fourths (77%) believe that “some” or “a lot” of the resources available for responding to the pandemic were lost to government corruption.
▪ Fewer than one-third (29%) of citizens say they trust the government to ensure the safety of any COVID-19 vaccine, and only a minority (37%) indicate that they are likely to try to get vaccinated.
o Interestingly, citizens with no formal education (51%) and older citizens (55% of those above age 55) are more likely to indicate a willingness to get vaccinated than their more educated and younger counterparts.
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, and Round 8 surveys are currently underway.