“Most Zimbabweans see government mismanagement, rather than sanctions, as main cause of country’s economic meltdown”

By a 2-to-1 margin, Zimbabweans blame the country’s economic meltdown mainly on the government’s mismanagement of the economy rather than on sanctions imposed by the West, a new Afrobarometer survey shows. This is the predominant view across all key socio-demographic groups except among citizens who identify as feeling “close to” the ruling ZANU-PF party.

Key findings

• Two-thirds (65%) of Zimbabweans say the main cause of the country’s economic meltdown is government mismanagement – more than twice as many as attribute economic troubles to sanctions imposed by the West (29%).
• Urban residents (82%) and citizens with post-secondary education (89%) are more likely to attribute the country’s economy troubles to government mismanagement than rural and less-educated citizens. Women (61%) are less likely than men (68%) to blame the government, as are older respondents (51% of those aged 56 or above) compared to their younger counterparts (66%-68%).
• The view that the meltdown is primarily due to government mismanagement is particularly strong in Harare (84%). But even in Mashonaland Central, only a minority (44%) blame Western sanctions.
• While more than nine out of 10 MDC-Chamisa supporters (92%) see government mismanagement as the main cause of the country’s economic meltdown, a majority (57%) of ZANU-PF adherents instead blame sanctions imposed by the West.

Read the full research report here (160KB PDF)

Source: Mass Public Opinion Institute, Afrobarometer and The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation