Unemployment remains the most important problem that Zimbabweans want their government to address, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey. Infrastructure/roads, education, management of the economy, and water supply follow as top priorities on citizens’ agenda. While rankings vary somewhat by respondents’ location, gender, generation, and education levels, the major concerns are fairly consistent across demographic groups.
Key findings:
- Unemployment is Zimbabweans’ biggest concern, cited by 38% of respondents as one of their top three priorities for government action. Infrastructure/roads (33%), education (31%), management of the economy (26%), and water supply (20%) round out the top five.
- A lack of jobs is more widely seen as a priority in the cities (45%) than in rural areas (33%), as is management of the economy (36% vs. 19%). Rural residents are more likely than their urban counterparts to prioritize health (25% vs. 11%) and water supply (23% vs. 16%).
- Men are somewhat more likely than women to rank unemployment and infrastructure/roads among the most important problems that government should address. More women than men cite food shortage as a top concern. Among youth, unemployment (40%) and education (35%) top the list of priorities. Among respondents with primary schooling or less, education (33%) ranks as the No. 1 concern.
Read the full research report here (277KB PDF)
Source: Mass Public Opinion Institute
