Afghans more pessimistic on security, future: Survey
Afghans more pessimistic on security, future: Survey
December 8, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Afghan women walk on a street in Kabul in this Dec. 5, 2016 file photo. — AP
December 8, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Last Updated: December 8, 2016 | 12:00 AM
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Afghan women walk on a street in Kabul in this Dec. 5, 2016 file photo. — AP
[/caption] KABUL — Afghans are increasingly uncertain about their future, less confident in their government and more pessimistic than before on issues such as security, corruption, and rising unemployment, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The annual survey by the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation has a record number of 65.9 percent of Afghans polled saying their country is moving in the wrong direction, up from 57.5 percent the previous year. By contrast, 29.3 percent of Afghans polled said they believe their country is moving in the right direction — down from 36.7 percent in 2015 and the lowest level since the foundation started the surveys in 2004. It also reveals that Afghans in 2016 were more dissatisfied with the economy. The foundation polled 12,658 Afghan men and women in interviews conducted between Aug. 31 and Oct. 1 in all 34 provinces of the country. The poll, released in Kabul on Wednesday, has a 1.6 percent margin of error. The survey has Afghan people in 2016 being more pessimistic than ever before — a mood that appears to reflect a sustained change in sentiment related to perceptions of security, the economy, and government achievements, the foundation said. Afghanistan has been facing major political and security challenges since the withdrawal of international combat troops at the end of 2014. Also, President Ashraf Ghani has been dealing with a stepped-up insurgency by the Taliban seeking to topple the government as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group, which emerged over a year ago and has expanded its footprint, especially in the country’s east. Ali Yawar, a 38-year-old carpet weaver, said he hasn’t had much business in the past two years. “I should say that all businesses have dropped, not only carpets,” he said, adding that every man wants want better security and job opportunities so he can stand on his own two feet — and not look for charity. “Afghanistan is emerging from decades of war and conflict. For the moment, a sense of personal safety and empowerment remains elusive,” Abdullah Ahmadzai, the Asia Foundation’s representative in Afghanistan, was quoted as saying in the survey’s findings. — AP
Afghan women walk on a street in Kabul in this Dec. 5, 2016 file photo. — AP[/caption] KABUL — Afghans are increasingly uncertain about their future, less confident in their government and more pessimistic than before on issues such as security, corruption, and rising unemployment, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The annual survey by the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation has a record number of 65.9 percent of Afghans polled saying their country is moving in the wrong direction, up from 57.5 percent the previous year. By contrast, 29.3 percent of Afghans polled said they believe their country is moving in the right direction — down from 36.7 percent in 2015 and the lowest level since the foundation started the surveys in 2004. It also reveals that Afghans in 2016 were more dissatisfied with the economy. The foundation polled 12,658 Afghan men and women in interviews conducted between Aug. 31 and Oct. 1 in all 34 provinces of the country. The poll, released in Kabul on Wednesday, has a 1.6 percent margin of error. The survey has Afghan people in 2016 being more pessimistic than ever before — a mood that appears to reflect a sustained change in sentiment related to perceptions of security, the economy, and government achievements, the foundation said. Afghanistan has been facing major political and security challenges since the withdrawal of international combat troops at the end of 2014. Also, President Ashraf Ghani has been dealing with a stepped-up insurgency by the Taliban seeking to topple the government as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group, which emerged over a year ago and has expanded its footprint, especially in the country’s east. Ali Yawar, a 38-year-old carpet weaver, said he hasn’t had much business in the past two years. “I should say that all businesses have dropped, not only carpets,” he said, adding that every man wants want better security and job opportunities so he can stand on his own two feet — and not look for charity. “Afghanistan is emerging from decades of war and conflict. For the moment, a sense of personal safety and empowerment remains elusive,” Abdullah Ahmadzai, the Asia Foundation’s representative in Afghanistan, was quoted as saying in the survey’s findings. — AP
