- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Mauritians say the country’s news media is “somewhat free” or “completely free” to report on news without censorship or government interference (Figure 1).
- More than eight in 10 citizens (85%) support media freedom, representing a 23- percentage-point increase since 2017. Only 12% endorse a government right to prevent publication of information it disapproves of (Figure 2).
- A similar majority (86%) insist that the media should constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption, representing a 13-percentage-point increase since 2020 (Figure 4).
- About half (49%) of Mauritians say the public should have access to government information, while 40% believe that such information should be used only by government officials and should not be shared with the public (Figure 5).
- But large majorities say that local government budgets (92%), government bids and contracts with businesses (88%), and the salaries of local government officials and teachers (71%) should be shared with the public (Figure 6).
Large and growing majorities of Mauritians say the country’s news media should be free of government interference and should play the role of a watchdog over government, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates.
Although only half of citizens support public access to government information in general, strong majorities believe that specific types of information – regarding local government budgets, bids and contracts, and salaries of local government officials and teachers – should be made publicly available.
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