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| Afrobarometer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Afrobarometer |
| Type | Nonprofit research network |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Accra, Ghana |
| Region served | Africa |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
| Leader name | Michael Bratton |
Afrobarometer
Afrobarometer is a pan-African survey research network that measures public opinion across multiple African countries, producing analysis used by policymakers, journalists, scholars and civil society. The network’s reports inform decision-making by institutions such as the African Union, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank, and national administrations including the Government of South Africa, Government of Nigeria, and Government of Kenya. Its findings are cited by media outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian (London), Al Jazeera, and by academic publishers like Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press.
Afrobarometer emerged from collaborations among academic institutions and research institutes in response to a need for systematic data on public attitudes after the democratic transitions of the 1990s. Early partners included the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Town, the University of Dar es Salaam, and the University of the Witwatersrand. Influential figures and institutions linked to its formation include scholars associated with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Over successive rounds, Afrobarometer expanded alongside comparative projects such as the Latinobarómetro, the Asian Barometer Survey, and the European Social Survey, while engaging with regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community.
Afrobarometer implements nationally representative face-to-face survey interviews, sampling protocols and weighting schemes developed with input from universities, survey research centers and statistical offices such as the South African Statistical Service and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Its questionnaires cover topics ranging from political attitudes to service delivery, referencing measurement approaches used in studies published by the American Political Science Association, the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, and methodologists linked to the Pew Research Center and the Gallup World Poll. Fieldwork operations coordinate with local research partners including the Institute for Democracy in South Africa and the Kenya-based Twaweza-linked organizations, while training and quality assurance draw on best practices from the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.
Across survey rounds, Afrobarometer reports recurring themes such as public trust in institutions, perceptions of corruption, evaluations of service delivery, and support for democracy. Its data have illuminated trends relevant to leaders and institutions like Nelson Mandela-era policies in South Africa, anti-corruption campaigns in Nigeria, election credibility debates involving figures such as Muhammadu Buhari and Uhuru Kenyatta, and protest movements comparable to the Arab Spring or the #FeesMustFall student protests associated with South African universities. Comparative analyses draw on theoretical frameworks from scholars linked to Daron Acemoglu, Robert Putnam, and Amartya Sen and are used in studies by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Chatham House, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Afrobarometer has conducted sequential survey rounds covering countries across subregions such as West Africa (including Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal), East Africa (including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania), Southern Africa (including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia), and Central Africa (including Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo). Each round is timed to permit analysis of political cycles, enabling comparisons with elections such as those involving Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, John Magufuli in Tanzania, and transitions examined after the Rwandan genocide period. Survey rounds are numbered and referenced by year, permitting longitudinal analysis used by institutions like the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.
Afrobarometer is governed by a board and implemented through a network of national partner organizations, with executive leadership and program staff coordinating operations from a central secretariat. Its funders have included philanthropic organizations and multilateral agencies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, and the European Commission. The governance structure interacts with academic partners such as the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Social Science Research and policy institutions like the African Centre for Cities.
Scholars, journalists, and policymakers widely cite Afrobarometer data, but the network has faced critique common to large-scale survey projects: challenges of fieldwork in fragile contexts like Mali, South Sudan, and Central African Republic; debates about questionnaire wording akin to discussions in the American Association for Public Opinion Research; and concerns about funding influences similar to critiques leveled at organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Methodological debates reference the work of survey methodologists tied to Stanford University, Harvard University, and the London School of Economics, while reception among civic groups and electoral commissions in countries like Ghana and Botswana ranges from strong endorsement to calls for complementary data sources.
Category:Public opinion research organizations