Haiti in Distress: The Impact of the 2010 Earthquake on Citizen Lives and Perceptions Authors: Dominique Zéphyr, M.A. Abby Córdova, Ph.D.
Topics Covered in this Presentation Part 1. The Data Part 2. Living Conditions in Haiti after the Earthquake Part 3. Impact of the Earthquake on Democratic Governance
Part 1: The Data
The Americas Barometer by LAPOP 26 countries, 43,990 interviews http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/ 2010
Donors 2010
LAPOP Surveys in Haiti Survey Years No. of Respondents 2006 1625 2008 1536 2010 1752 Theme of the Survey The Political Culture of Democracy in Haiti The Political Culture of Democracy in Haiti The Impact of the 2010 Earthquake
Unweighted 2010 Sample by Stratum and Urban/Rural Areas Stratum Total Country Urban Rural N % N % N % Metropolitan Area 280 16.0% 280 100.0% --- 0.0% Northern 252 14.4% 72 28.6% 180 71.4% Central 336 19.2% 96 28.6% 240 71.4% Rest of West 360 20.5% 24 6.7% 336 93.3% Southern 308 17.6% 32 10.4% 276 89.6% IDP camps 216 12.3% 216 100.0% --- 0.0% Total 1,752 100.0% 720 41.1% 1,032 58.9%
Face-to-Face Interviews
Making Results Accessible
Country Reports: all on-line, free www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/haiti.php
Free on-line data analysis: www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop
Part II: Living Conditions in Haiti after the Earthquake
Life Satisfaction LS6. On this card there is a ladder with steps numbered 0 to 10. Zero is the lowest step and represents the worst life possible for you. Ten is the highest step and represents the best life possible for you. On what step of the ladder do you feel at this moment? Best life possible 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 3 1 Worst life possible 0
Life Satisfaction in the Americas With 35.4 points, the average level of life satisfaction in Haiti is far below the second lowest score in the region. Low life satisfaction in Haiti reflects the poor socio-economic conditions of the majority of citizens. Brazil Costa Rica Venezuela Panama Trinidad & Tobago Honduras Argentina Chile Uruguay Canada Colombia Mexico Guatemala Suriname Paraguay Ecuador Guyana United States Bolivia Nicaragua Peru Belize El Salvador Dominican Republic Jamaica Haiti 71.6 67.7 65.6 65.1 63.3 63.3 63.0 62.6 62.5 62.3 61.8 61.7 61.4 61.4 60.5 59.0 58.8 58.7 57.8 56.7 54.7 53.4 53.3 53.0 52.5 35.4 0 20 40 60 80 Life Satisfaction 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Citizens Evaluation of their Economic Situation in the Americas IDIO1. How would you describe your overall economic situation? Would you say that it is very good, good, neither good nor bad, bad or very bad? (1) Very good (2) Good (3) Neither good nor bad (4) Bad (5) Very bad With an average of 30.5 points, Haiti ranks far behind Jamaica, the country with the second lowest score. Paraguay Uruguay Brazil Panama Costa Rica Trinidad & Tobago Bolivia Canada Guyana Chile Colombia Ecuador Suriname Argentina Venezuela United States Peru Guatemala Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Mexico Belize Dominican Republic Jamaica Haiti 30.5 42.1 40.4 47.4 47.2 46.7 46.7 46.6 45.7 50.8 49.3 49.1 53.5 53.3 52.2 51.8 51.4 55.9 55.1 54.8 56.2 54.7 57.4 56.7 54.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 59.1 Perception of Personal Economic Situation 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Access to Jobs Only 34.5 % of the population reported to have been working at the time of the survey. Students, retired, pensioner 17.6% Working 34.5% Not Working 47.9% How do you mainly spend your time?
Water and Electricity Service Accessibility: Extent to which services are readily available to citizens. Inequality: Differences in the availability of services between the relatively rich and poor, and across regions in the country. Quality: Citizen satisfaction with water and electricity services.
Access to Water and Electricity Services Water At the National level, only 40.1% of the population consumes piped water Rural areas Access to Piped Water 22.9% Access to piped water is extremely low in rural areas Other urban areas Metropolitan area 66.3% 68.1% Access to Electricity Supply Electricity Only 48.8% of households have direct access to electricity in Haiti. The chances of having access to electricity is greatly determined by the place of residence Rural areas Other urban areas Metropolitan area Metropolitan area Other urban areas Rural areas 28.7% 68.4% 83.2% 0 20 40 60 80 100 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Inequality in Access to Electricity and Piped Water Inequality in access to piped water and electricity between the rich and poor is much more pronounced in rural areas 100.0 Other Urban Areas 94.8 94.7 100.0 Percentage with Access to Electricity 80.0 60.0 40.0 20.0 67.4 57.6 91.6 Metropolitan Areas 75.1 Rural Areas 79.1 Percentage with Access to Piped Water 80.0 60.0 40.0 20.0 64.2 Metropolitan Areas 55.3 Other Urban Areas 72.9 65.7 81.5 73.8 48.2 7.9 7.5 12.6 Rural Areas 11.0 0.0 0.0 1 2 3 Terciles of wealth 1 2 3 Terciles of wealth
Satisfaction with Water and Electricity Services With 31.1 points on a 0-100 scale, residents of rural areas reported the lowest average level of satisfaction with water services. Rural areas Other urban areas Satisfaction with Water Service 31.1 38.0 Metropolitan area 43.0 Satisfaction with the Electricity Service With 27.5 points on a 0-100 scale, in rural areas the level of satisfaction with the electricity service is by far the lowest. Rural areas Other urban areas Metropolitan area Metropolitan area Other urban areas Rural areas 27.5 41.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 49.3 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Life Satisfaction and Access to Electricity and Water Services Not having adequate electricity and water services are important contributors to the generalized life dissatisfaction in Haiti. Life Satisfaction 40 30 20 10 31.8 39.7 Life Satisfaction 40 30 20 10 32.8 39.3 0 0 No Yes Access to Electricity Supply No Yes Access to Piped Water 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
How can standards of living be improved in Haiti?
ROS4. The Haitian government should implement strong policies to reduce income inequality between the rich and the poor. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Scale1-7) With 62.7 points on a 0-100 scale, Haiti shows the lowest level of support for an active state in the reduction of poverty and inequality in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Chile Costa Rica Uruguay Paraguay Suriname Brazil Dominican Republic Colombia Argentina Mexico Nicaragua Ecuador Panama El Salvador Guyana Trinidad & Tobago Jamaica Guatemala Belize Peru Bolivia Venezuela Honduras Haiti 88.5 86.9 86.8 85.4 84.8 83.5 83.1 82.1 81.6 81.4 81.0 80.6 80.3 78.6 78.5 78.4 78.1 78.0 77.6 76.0 72.5 72.2 71.5 62.7 0 20 40 60 80 100 Support for Public Policies that Benefit the Poor 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Support for Public Policies that Benefit the Poor and Perceptions of Government Performance Individuals with negative perceptions about government efficiency show the lowest levels of support for public policies aimed at improving the living conditions of people in need Support for Public Policies that Benefit the Poor 68 66 64 62 60 58 56 Good or very good Neither good nor bad Bad Perception of Government Performance Very bad
Trust in institutions in Haiti The most trusted institutions in Haiti are the Catholic and Protestant Churches and the Police. Catholic Church Protestant Church National Police Media 43.5 54.1 53.7 56.8 Except for the police, political institutions in Haiti show very low levels of citizen trust. Haitians are especially distrustful of a central institution for democracy, elections. CASEC National Government Municipal Government Supreme Court Parliament Electoral Commission President Political Parties Anti-Corruption Commision 34.0 33.9 33.6 33.5 31.2 30.9 30.4 30.0 29.1 Elections 23.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Trust in Political Institutions by Year National Government 2006 53.5 2008 38.2 Haitians became more distrustful of the National Government and the Parliament after the earthquake 2010 2006 2008 Supreme Court 33.9 31.4 35.8 2010 33.5 Parliament 2006 47.2 2008 35.6 2010 31.2 2010 2008 2006 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Performance of Institutions after the Earthquake When asked after the quake about the performance of institutions, the lowest job approval rating was given to the national government, with 40.0 average points on a 0-100 scale. Foreign NGOs Foreign Government Local Churches Local NGOs 68.1 59.7 56.5 52.7 In contrast, foreign NGOs and governments were given the highest scores. Neighborhood or Community Organizations 50.7 National Government 40.0 0 20 40 60 80 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Part III: Impact of the Earthquake on Democratic Governance
Methodology
I. Comparing results before and after the quake in affected and non-affected municipalities Living in affected municipalities 2006 46.0% Percent of Respondents Living in Affected and Non- Affected Municipalities (Weighted Sample) 2008 2010 Living in non-affected municipalities 50.8% 50.8% 2006 54.0% 2008 49.2% 2010 49.2% 2010 2008 2006 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
II. Comparing the experiences, perceptions, and behaviors of citizens living in tents vis-à-vis of those living in/at homes or in non-affected municipalities Residents in affected municipalities but living in tents 16.1% Residents in non-affected municipalities 49.2% Residents in affected municipalities but living at home 34.7% Residence Condition after the Earthquake Note: None of the respondents interviewed in non-affected municipalities had migrated from affected municipalities after the earthquake
III. Evaluating the effect of self-reported housing damage AIDP2. And now, speaking of that residence where you lived prior to the earthquake, how much damage did that place suffer from the earthquake? The expectation is that people who reported greater housing damage will show distinct political attitudes and behaviors relative to those who did not experience much damage. It was damaged but not repairable 12.1% It was completely destroyed 14.5% It was damaged but repairable 44.5% None 28.8% Extent of Housing Damage in Affected Municipalities
Support for the Political System
Support for the Political System B1. To what extent do you think the courts in (country) guarantee a fair trial? A lot 7 B2. To what extent do you respect the political institutions of (country)? B3. To what extent do you think that citizens basic rights are well protected by the political system of (country)? B4. To what extent do you feel proud of living under the political system of (country)? B6. To what extent do you think that one should support the political system of (country)? Not at all 6 5 4 3 2 1
Support for the Political System in the Americas Regarding system support, after the earthquake Haiti ranked at the very bottom relative to other nations in the Americas Uruguay Costa Rica Honduras Colombia Panama El Salvador Canada Suriname Mexico Chile Guyana Bolivia Dominican Republic Belize United States Nicaragua Brazil Guatemala Venezuela Ecuador Jamaica Peru Paraguay Argentina Trinidad & Tobago Haiti 32.0 68.0 63.2 60.4 60.3 60.2 58.7 57.8 57.1 56.8 56.7 54.9 54.0 53.9 53.6 53.5 51.7 50.0 49.6 49.0 48.9 48.6 46.8 46.3 45.2 44.0 0 20 40 60 80 System Support 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
System Support in Affected and Non- Affected Municipalities by Year Living in affected municipalities 2006 40.3 2008 38.0 2010 31.9 Living in non-affected municipalities In non-affected municipalities, support for the political system declined by about 11 points and in affected municipalities by about 6 points 2006 2008 2010 42.8 43.3 32.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 System Support 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Political Participation and Social Capital
Participation in Protests in the Americas Haiti has the highest level of public protest participation among the countries included in the 2010 surveys Haiti Argentina United States Peru Paraguay Uruguay Bolivia Nicaragua Guatemala Venezuela Ecuador Colombia Honduras Trinidad & Tobago Mexico Suriname Costa Rica Brazil Dominican Republic Canada Belize Panama Chile El Salvador Guyana Jamaica 13.5% 12.2% 12.0% 11.4% 11.4% 9.8% 8.6% 8.2% 7.9% 6.8% 6.6% 6.6% 6.4% 5.7% 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 5.1% 5.1% 4.8% 4.7% 4.3% 3.7% 3.1% 17.2% 15.4% 0 5 10 15 20 Percent of people that participate in protests 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Effect of Residence Condition on Protest Participation Individuals living in tents have emerged as an important political group, showing the highest rate of protest participation Percent of people that participated in protests 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 25.0% Residents in affected municipalities living in tents 18.6% Residents in affected municipalities living in/at homes 15.7% Residents in non-affected municipalities 95% Confidence Interval (Net of the Effects of other Control Variables Included in the Regression Model)
Participation in Community Improvement Committees in the Americas Haiti shows one of the highest participation rates in neighborhood-based organizations in the Americas Bolivia Haiti Guatemala Peru Dominican Republic Paraguay Venezuela United States Nicaragua Mexico El Salvador Canada Guyana Ecuador Jamaica Colombia Honduras Panama Chile Trinidad & Tobago Costa Rica Suriname Belize Argentina Brazil Uruguay 45.0% 41.0% 39.6% 39.3% 39.2% 35.3% 32.7% 32.0% 31.1% 27.8% 27.0% 26.6% 26.3% 25.9% 24.8% 24.8% 24.2% 22.4% 18.7% 18.7% 18.4% 15.8% 15.6% 14.8% 12.3% 12.1% 0 10 20 30 40 50 Participation in Community Improvement Committees 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Living in affected municipalities In municipalities hit by the disaster, participation in community improvement meetings increased from 35% to 46% 2006 2008 2010 2006 2008 Living in non-affected municipalities 27.0% 34.9% 38.1% 45.6% 47.7% 2010 36.4% 0 10 20 30 40 50 Participation in Community Improvement Committees 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Interpersonal Trust in the Americas IT1. Now, speaking of the people from around here, would you say that people in this community are very trustworthy, somewhat trustworthy, not very trustworthy or untrustworthy...? With 32.7 points on a 0-100 scale, Haiti has by far the lowest average level of interpersonal trust in the Americas Costa Rica Canada United States Uruguay Honduras Guyana Trinidad & Tobago Chile Colombia El Salvador Paraguay Panama Nicaragua Suriname Dominican Republic Guatemala Jamaica Venezuela Mexico Argentina Brazil Ecuador Bolivia Belize Peru Haiti 32.7 46.6 46.2 56.2 55.6 55.1 54.2 52.6 59.8 58.6 57.9 57.7 57.4 56.9 56.7 63.8 63.7 63.5 62.9 62.8 61.9 64.1 61.6 69.0 68.2 70.2 0 20 40 60 80 Interpersonal Trust 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Interpersonal Trust in Affected and Non- Affected Municipalities by Year Living in affected municipalities 2006 36.1 Interpersonal trust declined by about 8 points in affected and non-affected municipalities 2008 2010 2006 Living in non-affected municipalities 29.1 37.5 47.2 2008 44.3 2010 36.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 Interpersonal Trust 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Impact of Self-Reported Damage on Interpersonal Trust 34 Interpersonal Trust 32 30 28 26 24 None It was damaged but repairable It was damaged but not repairable Self-Reported Housing Damage It was completely destroyed
Crime and Corruption
Crime Victimization in the Americas VIC1EXT. Have you been a victim of any type of crime in the past 12 months? (1) Yes (2) No Despite the turmoil experienced in 2010 as consequence of the earthquake, the country as a whole shows a moderate crime victimization rate in comparison to other countries in the LAC region Peru Ecuador Venezuela Bolivia Argentina Mexico El Salvador Guatemala Suriname Uruguay Colombia Haiti Nicaragua Costa Rica Paraguay Chile Dominican Republic United States Brazil Canada Honduras Trinidad & Tobago Belize Panama Jamaica Guyana 10.1% 9.0% 11.8% 11.3% 15.3% 14.0% 13.7% 18.2% 16.7% 16.5% 16.4% 15.8% 21.4% 20.9% 19.3% 19.2% 19.0% 24.2% 23.3% 20.5% 26.2% 26.2% 26.2% 25.9% 31.1% 29.1% 0 10 20 30 40 Crime Victimization 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Types de crimes About 63% of crime victims reported having experienced a crime that involved violence. Unarmed robbery with assault or physical threats Armed robbery Unarmed robbery, no assault or physical threats Burglary of your home Rape or sexual assault Assault but not robbery Other Vandalism Kidnapping Extortion 5.7% 5.3% 5.2% 3.5% 2.5% 1.6% 0.3% 26.5% 24.7% 24.6% 0 5 10 15 20 25
Crime Victimization in Affected and Non- Affected Municipalities by Year Living in affected municipalities About 26% of individuals living in affected municipalities reported to have been crime victims in 2010 in comparison to about 15% in 2008 2006 2008 2010 2006 2008 2010 15.4% Living in non-affected municipalities 14.0% 13.1% 12.1% 20.4% 26.4% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Crime Victimization 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
About 36% of females living in tents reported to have been a victim of crime in comparison to 23% of males living in tents 40 Percent of Population Victimized by Crime 30 20 10 0 Residents in affected municipalities living in tents Residents in affected municipalities living in/at homes Residents in non-affected municipalities Female Male
The Corruption Victimization Series In the past twelve months, have you paid a bribe: To a police officer To a public official To expedite a transaction with the municipal government At work For public health/medical service In the school system
Corruption Victimization in the Americas Haiti has by far the highest corruption rate in the Americas Haiti Mexico Bolivia Peru Paraguay Brazil Argentina Guatemala Ecuador Venezuela Dominican Republic Belize Guyana Honduras Nicaragua Suriname El Salvador Colombia Costa Rica Panama Trinidad & Tobago Jamaica Uruguay United States Chile Canada 35.0% 32.3% 32.0% 27.1% 23.6% 23.5% 21.2% 21.1% 18.5% 17.5% 17.2% 17.1% 16.2% 12.1% 11.8% 11.4% 10.4% 10.1% 9.4% 9.1% 7.8% 7.3% 6.3% 5.2% 4.2% 53.6% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Percent of Population Victimized by Corruption 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Support for Democracy
Support for Democracy ING4. Democracy may have problems, but it is better than any other form of government. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? A lot 7 6 5 4 3 2 Not at all 1
Haitians are still committed to democracy In 2010, when the ING4 question was asked, 64.3% of individuals gave a score higher than 5 points on a 1-7 scale. However, the country shows relatively low support for democracy in comparison to other countries in the Americas Uruguay Suriname Chile Argentina United States Costa Rica Canada Brazil Panama Bolivia Venezuela Colombia Guyana Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago Belize Dominican Republic Nicaragua Ecuador Haiti Mexico El Salvador Guatemala Paraguay Honduras Peru 53.5% 51.8% 60.6% 59.0% 57.9% 69.0% 68.4% 66.9% 66.6% 65.6% 64.3% 63.8% 74.6% 73.6% 72.9% 72.6% 72.1% 72.0% 71.3% 70.1% 79.8% 79.3% 78.2% 84.0% 78.1% 87.2% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percent of the Population with High Support for Democracy 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effects Based)
Support for Democracy in Affected and Non-Affected Municipalities by Year Despite the extraordinary social and economic consequences of the earthquake, citizens have not turned their backs on democracy. As depicted by the overlapping confidence intervals, the average level of support for democracy, based on a 0-100 scale, remained the same in Affected and Non-Affected municipalities. 2006 2008 2010 2006 2008 2010 Living in affected municipalities Living in non-affected municipalities 61.7 65.4 68.9 72.0 67.9 70.2 0 20 40 60 80 Support for Democracy 95% Confidence Interval (Design-Effect Based)
Conclusions The earthquake did not shake support for democracy as the best form of government in Haiti Yet, the weakened capacity of political institutions due to the earthquake coupled with higher levels of insecurity and widespread corruption, have led citizens to become more distrustful of the political system The findings suggest that any development strategy put in place in Haiti is more likely to be supported by the population and consequently succeed, if it also entails an active participation of the private sector and non-governmental organizations along with efforts to strengthen the capacity of governmental institutions
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