- Six in 10 Emaswati (59%) describe the government’s overall performance in managing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as “fairly” or “very” good, while 38% say it has done a poor job (Figure 1).
- On specific aspects of the COVID-19 response, however, majorities say they are “not very satisfied” or “not at all satisfied” with the government’s efforts in providing relief assistance to vulnerable households (65%), ensuring that disruptions to children’s education were kept to a minimum (61%), and making sure that health facilities were adequately resourced to deal with the pandemic (57%) (Figure 2).
- More than two-thirds (68%) of citizens think their government will not be prepared to deal with future public health emergencies, including 50% who think it will be “very unprepared” (Figure 3).
- About six in 10 Emaswati (58%) say the government needs to invest more in preparing for future public health emergencies, even if it means that fewer resources are available for other health services (Figure 4).
A majority of Emaswati say the government has performed well in managing the
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates.
However, on specific aspects of the response, the majority say they are not satisfied with the government’s efforts in providing relief assistance to vulnerable households, ensuring that disruptions to children’s education were kept to a minimum, and making sure that health facilities were adequately resourced to deal with the pandemic.
Many citizens believe their government will not be prepared to deal with future public health emergencies and recommend that the government invest more in preparing for such crises, even if it means that fewer resources are available for other health services.
