New research brief - Public opinions on governance in Africa

Our latest research brief, Public Opinions on Governance in Africa, is now live.

This research draws on data from the 2024 IIAG, including the indicators obtained Afrobarometer’s public opinion surveys, and the NGN survey. It reveals a notable mismatch between actual governance performance and the public’s perception of that performance.

For instance, countries such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gabon, and Guinea have seen significant declines in public sentiment regarding economic opportunities over the past decade, despite improvements in this area according to the 2024 IIAG. This illustrates a frequent occurrence where individuals’ lived experiences differ from the data that tracks key governance indicators.

By combining the IIAG’s non-perception indicators with Afrobarometer’s perception indicators, we gain a more comprehensive understanding of governance performance.