A year after the Taliban took over, almost the entire population of Afghanistan (98 percent of those surveyed) say they are “suffering,” while only two percent say they are “struggling.” No one chose the third option, “thriving,” in the results published by Gallup, a respected international polling firm, on Thursday, December 1.
The survey, published in a series of articles, highlights the humanitarian and economic crisis in the country: “While Afghan women held a slight edge over men in 2021, suffering is now universal among men and women: 98% of women and 97% of men in 2022 rate their life poorly enough to be considered suffering.”
The Gallup poll, based on interviews with a thousand adults in Afghanistan in July and August 2022, found that nine out of 10 Afghan are finding it “difficult or very difficult” to make ends meet, with more than 90 percent rating the situation as “bad” for finding jobs. The survey also notes that “the percentage who say it is a bad time to find a job in their communities soared to a record 92% in 2022, shattering the previous high of 84% in 2021.”
“Poverty is expected to remain widespread in the country. While humanitarian aid totaling around $1.8 billion has been sent from the international community, Afghans are almost universally negative about the outlook for their economy. In fact, 90% of them believe that their local economic conditions are getting worse,” the Gallup survey finds.
The survey also highlights a record-low hopelessness among Afghan people. Only 11 percent of those surveyed said children in Afghanistan “have the opportunity to learn and grow.”
Both men and women are dissatisfied with the level of freedom in the country, the survey finds. “While Afghan men have not suffered the same restrictions that women have, majorities of men and women in Afghanistan are unhappy with their freedom to choose what they do with their lives. More than six in 10 Afghans (62%) in 2022 are dissatisfied with their freedom.”
The survey also states that “Afghanistan has received as much international attention as any country in the world in the past 20 years, yet in 2022, Afghans rate their lives worse than any population has since the inception of the World Poll.” Gallup started this international poll in 2005 and now surveys people in 160 countries on important issues such as food access and well-being.
