Zimbabweans prefer democracy to military rule

A majority of Zimbabweans say they prefer democracy to any other kind of government, but only a minority are satisfied with the way democracy works in their country, a recent Afrobarometer study reveals.

Majorities in the survey rejected one-man rule, one-party rule, and military rule.

But many citizens do not see Zimbabwe as a well-functioning democracy.

According to the Afrobarometer findings, more than eight in 10 Zimbabweans (85%) say they prefer democracy to any other kind of government but more than half of citizens (56%) believe Zimbabwe is "not a democracy" (23%) or "a democracy with major problems".

Fully half (50%) say they are "not very satisfied" or "not at all satisfied" with how democracy works in the country.

"Strong majorities reject one-man rule (88%), one-party rule (72%), and military rule (72%) (Figure 4). Urbanites are more likely than rural residents to reject one-party rule (77% vs. 69%) and military rule (77% vs. 69%), while opposition to one-man rule is similarly strong in both (89% urban vs. 87% rural).

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.

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 and 15 June 2024.