Press Release: Presentation on the findings of the Somalia Confidence Index Survey

Mogadishu, 2nd October – Ipsos Limited and Farsight Africa Research recently conducted a Confidence Index Survey on Somali Citizens. The survey covered 6 regions and sought to assess the economic and security perceptions of the Federal Government of Somalia and its institutions.

According the survey findings, 42% of the citizens feel that the general economic conditions have been static over the last one year. Another 48% feel that the country is headed in the right direction. However, there are regional variations such as is the case of Banadir region, which houses the capital city of Mogadishu. Here, 34% of the citizens feel that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Identifiable factors in Banadir attribute this to perceived insecurity, corruption, misuse of funds as well as slow economic growth.

The level of confidence that Somali citizens have in H.E President Mohamed Abdullahi ‘Farmaajo’ Mohamed has dropped significantly. Our survey shows he has lost 19% of rated confidence within one year, from 86% in 2017 to 67% at present. Similarly, the Prime Minister H.E Hassan Ali Khaire’s confidence ratings among the citizens have dipped from 83% in 2017 to 62% at present. The Cabinet has also suffered a significant loss in confidence rating, dropping from 86% in 2017 to 49% at present. “The leaders in government are fast losing popularity amongst citizens. It is crucial that the areas that we have highlighted – where confidence is low amongst the citizens – are addressed with the view to satisfy the citizens’ needs,” says Anthony Ndirangu, Research Director at IPSOS/Farsight.

The public confidence in the Somali Police Force and the Somali National Army have equally decreased insinuating that Somali citizens strongly believe they have been failed by the entities charged with the responsibility of securing the country and safeguarding their peace.

Popularity of the regional presidents was generally low in the regions. Out of the 6 regions sampled only two regional federal state presidents had more than 50% confidence rating. These are Southwest State with 55% and Jubbaland with 52%. The rest had scores ranging from 43% and 31% with the lowest confidence score registered by Puntland at 31%.

About Farsight Africa Research:
Farsight Africa Research (FAR) works in partnership with organizations, governments and civil society and policy makers in Security & Conflict Analysis, the Energy & Gas Sectors, and Accountability & Corruption. We undertake research projects in each of these sectors and provide advisory services for investment opportunities, donor programming, and broader competence and skills solutions.

About IPSOS Limited:
Ipsos is a global market research and a consulting firm with worldwide headquarters in Paris, France. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 89 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Ipsos delivers information and analysis that makes our complex world easier and faster to navigate and inspires clients to make smarter decisions.