Aid in Action

USAID/Jamaica launches results of 2008 Democracy Survey

Longitudinal report provides insight on views in the public domain

Kingston, Jamaica | Tuesday, May 19, 2009

USAID/Jamaica recently hosted a presentation of the Latin American Public Opinion Project’s (LAPOP) 2008 Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica: The Impact of Governance. The presentations focused on corruption, police/citizen relations and psychosocial factors in Jamaican democracy; all of which stimulated riveting discussions. The presentations - delivered by Mr. Balford Lewis and Dr. Lawrence Powell from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, and Dr. Elizabeth Zechmeister of LAPOP and Vanderbilt University - were complemented by commentary from an eclectic panel of five comprised of representatives from the faith-based and academic communities, a youth advocate, a senior police official, and a community practitioner with dispute resolution and legal expertise.

The Mission Director, Dr. Karen Hilliard, said the survey is a tool that shows the state of the country through the eyes of the people. Hilliard posited that the survey results provide valuable social capital that can guide policy-making and contribute to meaningful development outcomes. “While allowing us to compare trends across the region,” she added,  “it also helps us to track how we are doing and gives us a way to see how donor and civil society social interventions remain appropriate to Jamaica’s development priorities.” The LAPOP surveys track public opinion, behavior and attitudes towards issues of democracy and governance throughout the western hemisphere. The topics include: corruption victimization, citizen participation in and evaluation of local government, trust in government institutions, political tolerance, civil society participation, and support for democracy.

 

Photo 1 (above left): Rev. Al Miller comments on the LAPOP Democracy Survey presentation. Other panelists are (l-r)Prof. Trevor Munroe, Mr.Gregory Simms and ACP Novelette Grant. (Partially hidden is Donna Parchment-Brown). Photo 2 (above right): The audience listens keenly to the survey findings.

LAPOP, directed by Mitchell A. Seligson, was initiated over two decades ago and is hosted by Vanderbilt University. LAPOP began with the study of democratic values in one country, Costa Rica. The Americas Barometer, one of LAPOP’s many activities, is an effort to measure democratic values and behaviors in the Americas. In 2004 the first round of Americas Barometer surveys was implemented with eleven participating countries. In 2006, 22 countries participated, while in 2008, 23 countries were included. Jamaica has been included for the second time, having first participated in 2006. The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica survey was conducted by a local survey team based at the University of the West Indies, Mona in Kingston.

Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica, 2008: The Impact of Governance 19 May 2009 [pdf, 2690 KB]