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State of the nation: Malawians’ reflections on political governance

30 May 2017 Malawi
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Findings from Afrobarometer Round 7 survey in Malawi in 2017.

At a glance

Trust: Most Malawians trust religious leaders and the Malawi Defence Force, but only about one in three trust the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), the ruling party, or the president.

Democracy and freedoms: A majority of Malawians say their country is “not a democracy” or “a democracy with major problems.”

Government performance: Only one-third of respondents say they approve of the job performance of their MP, councilor, president, and mayor. More than half say the government is performing badly on 13 of 16 policy issues that the survey asked about.

Party politics: If presidential elections were held during the time of the survey, 32% of Malawians say they would vote for the MCP candidate, 27% for the DPP, 11% for the UDF, and 7% for the PP.

Overall direction of the country: An overwhelming majority of Malawians, regardless of party affiliation, say the country is “going in the wrong direction.”