Page 39 - Tunisia 2011

IRI Tunisia Index – Page Two

Similarly, the survey asked what the single biggest problem facing Tunisia as a whole was, asking respondents to cite their top three problems. Responses were far more varied than in March, and included the economic and financial crisis, terrorism, strikes and sit-ins, corruption, and delinquency and vandalism. However, the top two responses – internal security and unemployment – were the same. Internal security was most often cited in respondents’ first mention (28 percent) followed by unemployment (16 percent). Collectively, internal security was mentioned either first, second or third as the top problem 63 percent of the time. Unemployment was mentioned either first, second or third 56 percent of the time.

Key findings of the poll are as follows:

 The survey indicates a steep decline in confidence for the transition period. While the vast majority of respondents in March (79 percent) believed the country was headed in the right direction, only 46 percent said so in May. This level is equal to the 46 percent who said the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 14 percent in March.  Tunisians are concerned about the state of their economy, with 73 percent indicating that the economic situation is somewhat bad or very bad.

 Enthusiasm for democracy remains high, with 93 percent of respondents indicating they are very likely or somewhat likely to vote in elections and just six percent saying they are not likely to do so. Yet voters are unsure who they will support, with 72 percent responding they do not know who they would vote for in constituent assembly elections.  Of the respondents who disapproved of a secular government in Tunisia, the overwhelming majority (80 percent) said they would prefer a moderately Islamist constituent assembly, while only 14 percent indicated a preference for strongly Islamist parties.

 Bearing in mind that internal security is a concern among a majority of Tunisians, the survey shows the National Army remains the most trusted institution with 83 percent of respondents stating they trust the army a great deal. This compares with 69 percent who said they trust citizen security groups that have emerged since Ben Ali’s departure. Trust in the national police has risen considerably since March, with 47 percent indicating they trust the national police a great deal, an increase of 17 percent from only two months prior. The national police still registered the strongest negative feelings with 18 percent of respondents claiming they do not trust the police at all, but that is still a decrease of 14 percent compared to responses to the same question in March.

 Economy

o Tunisians increasingly feel the country is moving in the wrong direction, but a majority is still confident the economy will improve over the next year. This suggests the country continues to experience a positive atmosphere in the aftermath of the revolution.

o Tunisians are about evenly split on their household’s financial situation during the past year with 33 percent saying it had gotten better, 30 percent saying it had gotten worse and 37 percent saying it had not changed.

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