Afghanistan in 2015 1

20
Afghanistan in 2015
As was the case last year, security appears to be a major driver of public perception. Afghans who say
their country is moving in the right direction cite good security as a top reason, and Afghans who say
their country is moving in the wrong direction cite insecurity as the leading reason (44.6%) (Fig. 1.6).
REASONS: WRONG DIRECTION
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
38
45
23
25
15
13 12
10
11
5
INSECURITY UNEMPLOYMENT CORRUPTION BAD ECONOMY BAD
GOVERNMENT
2014 2015
10
5
ADMINISTRATIVE
CORRUPTION
FIG. 1.6: Q-3A/B. (Ask if answered “wrong direction” to Q-1) What are two reasons you
think that Afghanistan is going in the wrong direction? (Q-3A and Q-3B responses combined)
Longitudinal analysis shows that Afghans increasingly view unemployment, and decreasingly view
corruption, as the primary reasons for why the country is going in the wrong direction (Fig. 1.7).
The percentage of Afghans who cite unemployment (25.4%) this year has increased by more than 10
percentage points since 2007 (14.7%), while the percentage citing administrative corruption decreased
10 percentage points since 2007. Those citing corruption more generally has dropped 10 percentage
points since 2013. However, the percentage of respondents who report paying a bribe (defined to
include money, favors or gifts) to a government authority in the past year has increased each year of the
survey, suggesting increased tolerance for the existence of corruption.