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News release

Tanzanians approve of government’s COVID-19 response, though few report receiving pandemic-related assistance

18 May 2023 Tanzania
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News release
Key findings
  • About one in seven Tanzanians (14%) say someone in their household lost a job, business, or primary source of income due to the pandemic, while only 1% say a member of their household became ill with COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus (Figure 1).
  • Only 2% of citizens report that their household received pandemic-related assistance from the government (Figure 2). Only one-third (33%) of respondents say such assistance was distributed fairly, while 43% think distribution was handled unfairly.
  • About one in three citizens believe that “a lot” (17%) or “some” (18%) of the resources intended for the COVID-19 response have been lost to corruption (Figure 3).
  • About nine in 10 Tanzanians (89%) say the government has managed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic “fairly well” or “very well,” while only 6% say it has done a poor job (Figure 4).
  • About nine in 10 Tanzanians (89%) say the government has managed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic “fairly well” or “very well,” while only 6% say it has done a poor job (Figure 4).

An overwhelming majority of Tanzanians applaud the government’s response to the COVID- 19 pandemic, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

Most Tanzanians say the government has done a good job of minimising disruptions to children’s education and ensuring that health facilities are adequately resourced to respond to the pandemic. A majority of citizens also approve of the government’s efforts to support vulnerable households, although few respondents report having received pandemic-related assistance and many questioned how fairly such assistance was distributed.

Only three in 10 citizens say they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine-hesitant respondents most commonly cite concerns about the vaccine’s trustworthiness and safety.