KABUL (AA): A ‘Survey of the Afghan People’ by the Asia Foundation has stated that a downward trajectory in national mood which began in 2013 has reversed, and optimism has risen this year.
The findings of the Asia Foundation’s 13th ‘Survey of the Afghan People’ are based on face-to-face interviews with a national sample of more than 10,000 Afghan citizens representing all major and most minor ethnic groups in all 34 provinces. It stated that the percentage of people content with the country’s direction has improved from 29 to 33 per cent.
Idress Ilham, one of the researchers of the survey, stated on the occasion that a total of 32.7 per cent of responders said the country was heading in the right direction while 61.2 were not content with it. Some 38.8 per cent responders including 41.2 per cent male and 36.3 per cent female responders said they would leave the country if they get a chance. The survey has noted that the raging violence has forced so many Afghans to seek migration.
Ilham stated that up to 70.6 per cent responders have pronounced joblessness as the major issue faced by the youth. It has noted that the responders highlighted improvement in the standard of education, development works, agriculture and security as their main concerns.
David D. Arnold, president of the Asia Foundation has said the Survey is a map of social change over time, presenting a clear picture of the gains and gaps that Afghans perceive in a rapidly transforming nation. “In this crucial period of political and economic transition, the importance of comprehensive, reliable data cannot be overstated,”
Abdullah Ahmadzai, the Asia Foundation’s country representative, said on the occasion that after a historic decline in 2016, confidence in public institutions and the Afghan security forces has improved in 2017. “The Survey also reveals what Afghans see as their immediate priorities: educational development, agricultural development, good security, and the building of roads and bridges are frequently cited as going well at the local level."
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