Afrobarometer: Round II 16-Country Merged Dataset, 2002-2004

The Afrobarometer project assesses attitudes and public opinion toward democracy, markets, and civil society in several sub-Saharan African nations. This dataset was compiled from the studies in Round II of the Afrobarometer conducted from 2002-2004 in 16 countries including Botswana, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and South Africa. Certain questions addressed country-specific issues, but many of the same questions were asked across surveys. Citizens of the 16 countries were asked their opinions about recent political and economic changes within their country. Respondents were asked about their current satisfaction with economic conditions in their country, how they currently obtained food to eat, what resources they relied on for safety, and how they obtained health care. They were also asked how often in the last 12 months they or their family had gone without food, felt unsafe in terms of crime, had gone without medicine, or had gone without shelter. Their opinions were elicited about who they felt was responsible for providing schools, creating jobs, building houses, and reducing crime. They were asked what came to mind with the word "democracy," as well as their support for democracy, whether they were satisfied with democracy, and whether they had to be careful about what they said. Respondents were also asked how often they got news from such sources as radio, television, or newspapers, and how closely they followed what was going on in government and public affairs. Other questions sought respondents' judgments on overall government performance and social service delivery. Respondents also were asked to evaluate of the trustworthiness of various institutions, who they trusted and to what extent they relied on informal networks and associations. Other questions sought each respondent's view of himself in relation to ethnic and class identities. Demographic information was elicited from respondents including age, language spoken, education, and employment status.