Afrobarometer Survey Shows
A large majority of Liberians say pollution is a serious problem facing their communities and needs greater attention from the government, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
Citizens identify trash disposal, sanitation or human waste management, and air and water pollution as the most important environmental issues in their communities.
While close to half say ordinary citizens have the primary responsibility for reducing pollution and keeping communities clean, an equal proportion assign this task to their national and local governments.
Strong majorities give the government a gloomy rating for its performance on reducing pollution and protecting the environment.
Key findings
- Eight out of 10 Liberians (80%) say pollution is a “somewhat serious” or “very serious” problem in their community (Figure 1).
- Citizens cite trash disposal (31%), sanitation (27%), air pollution (16%), and pollution of water sources (15%) as the most important environmental issues in their community (Figure 2).
- More than eight in 10 citizens (82%) say plastic bags are a major source of pollution in Liberia (Figure 3).
- Almost half (46%) of Liberians say the primary responsibility for reducing pollution and keeping communities clean rests with ordinary citizens. About the same proportion assign this responsibility to their national (34%) or local (13%) governments (Figure 4).
- A large majority (80%) of citizens give the government a poor rating for its performance in reducing pollution and protecting the environment. Urban residents, economically better-off citizens, and those with higher education are particularly likely to be critical of the government’s efforts (Figure 5).
Afrobarometer surveys
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2023) are currently underway. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Liberia, led by the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult citizens between 25 August and 2 September 2022. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Liberia in 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2020.