Mass Public Opinion Institute

18/12/2024

07/10/2024

Zimbabwe Democracy scorecards

07/10/2024

News release
Zimbabweans support presidential term limits and multiparty
competition, Afrobarometer survey shows
A large majority of Zimbabweans say they prefer the present constitutional arrangement that
limits the president to a maximum of two terms in office, a new Afrobarometer survey shows.
Most citizens also support multiparty competition and believe that many political parties are
needed to ensure that voters have real choices in who governs them.
Urban residents and
individuals who have some post-secondary education are more likely to endorse these views
than their rural and less educated counterparts.
The push in some ruling-party circles for a constitutional amendment to remove the
presidential term limit is the most controversial and polarising issue dominating public debate
in Zimbabwe today.

Key findings
 About eight in 10 Zimbabweans (79%) support the present constitutional arrangement
that limits the president to serving two terms in office (Figure 1).
o Men are more likely than women to support presidential term limits (81% vs. 76%),
as are urban residents compared to their rural counterparts (85% vs. 74%) (Figure
2).
o Support for term limits increases with respondents’ level of education, rising from
69% among those with primary schooling or less to 87% among those with tertiary
education.
 About two-thirds (68%) of citizens favour having many political parties so that voters
have real choices in who governs them, while 31% instead say political parties create
division and confusion and it is unnecessary to have many of them (Figure 3).
o Urbanites are more likely than rural residents to support multiparty competition
(71% vs. 65%), as are the most educated citizens (80%) compared to those with
secondary schooling or less (60%-66%) (Figure 4).
o Geographically, Mashonaland West is the region with the highest share of
respondents who support multiparty competition (85%), compared to only 59% of
Harare residents (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.
Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 surveys
were launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face
interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Zimbabwe, led by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI),
interviewed 1,200 adult citizens between 1 June and 15 June 2024. A sample of this size yields

Copyright ©Afrobarometer 2024 2
country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence
level. Previous standard surveys were conducted in Zimbabwe in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012,
2014, 2017, 2021, and 2022.

30/09/2024

Respondents were asked: How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or haven’t you heard enough to say?
Managing the economy?
Improving the living standards of the poor? Creating jobs?, Keeping prices stable?
, Narrowing gaps between the rich and poor?
Reducing crime?
Improving basic health services?
Fighting corruption in government?

30/09/2024

Respondents were asked: Respondents were asked: In your opinion, what are the most important problems facing the country that government should address?

News release
People’s policy priorities and central government performance on the priorities.
Unemployment remains a major important priority for Zimbabweans. The Afrobarometer recent survey shows that a plurality of Zimbabweans see employment as the most important priority for the adult Zimbabweans that the government should address.
Majority of Zimbabwean citizens agree with the idea that, the economy is being managed fairly badly/very badly. Most of the Zimbabweans have in mind that addressing the issue of basic health services is fairly badly or very badly. Creating jobs for the citizens remain being managed fairly badly or very badly.

Key findings
 Unemployment is the most important problem that Zimbabweans want their government to address
 Majority of the Zimbabweans say the current government managing the economy fairly bad or very badly (68%).
 The younger one is, the more likely they are to say the government is failing to create jobs
 The more educated one is the more they are likely to agree with the norm that the government is addressing the issue of access to basic health services fairly badly/very badly

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. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 surveys (2024/2025) cover 42 countries. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Zimbabwe, led by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI), interviewed 1,200 adult citizens between 1 June and 15 June 2024. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous standard surveys were conducted in Zimbabwe in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021,2022 and 2023.

For more information, please contact:
Mass Public Opinion Institute
National Partner Name
Eldred.V. Masunungure
Telephone: +263772100409
Email: [email protected]

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www.mpoi.net/
www.afrobarometer.org

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