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DOOR Newsletter on East Timor home
May news
"This report presents the
findings of the first ever random nationwide survey to assess East Timorese
political opinions and knowledge. ... The survey involved 1,558 in-person
interviews of potential voters in a total of 392 Aldeia in 196 villages
in all the 13 districts of East Timor. It addresses critical issues related
to the national mood; voter and civic education issues; access to media;
language use and preference; and demographics." The Asia Foundation
See also:
BD:
Peoples' Participation [sections on constitutional process,
civic education, elections]
BD:
Reconstruction and 'Aid & Development' [section on education]
Foreword and Executive Summary
only.
The complete report available
at: http://www.asiafoundation.org/pdf/EastTimorVoterEd.pdf
[355k]
EAST TIMOR NATIONAL SURVEY OF VOTER KNOWLEDGE
(PRELIMINARY FINDINGS)
CONTENTS:
FOREWORD
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
. NATIONAL MOOD
. CIVIC EDUCATION
. VOTER EDUCATION
. MEDIA
. LANGUAGE
. CIVIC EDUCATION—RECOMMENDATIONS
. VOTER EDUCATION—RECOMMENDATIONS
FOREWORD
This report presents the findings of the first
ever random nationwide survey to assess East Timorese political opinions
and knowledge. Conducted in February and March 2001, and sponsored by The
Asia Foundation, the survey sought to gather essential information about
the views and knowledge of the electorate in a critical year for East Timor’s
political development.
The survey results are intended as a resource
for all, but particularly as a guide for policymakers and practitioners
to better target election support programs in East Timor in 2001. It is
also intended to serve as a baseline from which any organization can measure
the success of specific projects and assess the progress of democratization
over time.
The survey involved 1,558 in-person interviews
of potential voters in a total of 392 Aldeia in196 villages in all the
13 districts of East Timor. It addresses critical issues related
to the national mood; voter and civic education issues; access to media;
language use and preference; and demographics.
The methodology of the study is explained
overleaf, following a summary of the survey’s most important findings.
The report also contains recommendations for voter and civic education
initiatives.
To conduct the survey, The Asia Foundation
partnered with and trained the NGO Forum’s
Kelompok Kerja Pendidikan Pemilih (KKPP-Voter Education Working Group),
without whose substantial involvement this project would not have been
possible. Some 69 KKPP members representing 21 NGOs carried out the field
work and data entry over a month-long period. The dedication and commitment
to non-partisanship of these individuals was commendable. The international
survey research firm, AC Nielsen, also played an invaluable role, by working
together with The Asia Foundation and the KKPP to design the questionnaire
and train the staff who carried out the field work, as well as conducting
the data compilation. The Asia Foundation would like to express thanks
to USAID for its financial support for this project.
This is the fourth in a series of democracy
surveys sponsored by The Asia Foundation in Asia. The first was a national
voter education survey conducted in Indonesia in advance of the 1999 elections.
The second was a follow up survey in Indonesia in August 1999, and the
third was carried out in Cambodia in 2000.
The Asia Foundation, currently involved
in East Timor in election support programs focusing on voter education,
domestic election monitoring, media development and the constitutional
development process, welcomes comments on this report.
The Asia Foundation
Dili
May 2001
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
NATIONAL MOOD
• 75% of East Timorese feel that the country
is heading in the right direction.
• Pessimism about the country’s direction
is slightly stronger among younger respondents and concentrated mainly
in Dili and Baucau and in areas of recent conflict (Viqueque, in particular).
• To 63% of East Timorese who say that
the country is headed in the right direction, the calmer situation and
the end to violence are strong indicators that the country is headed in
the right direction. Economic recovery was the second most popular reason,
but cited by far fewer respondents.
• Women are considerably more likely than
men to refer to the problem of violence.
Younger East Timorese, too, are far more
likely to refer to violence than older East Timorese.
• Among the 12% of East Timorese saying
the country is headed in the wrong direction, the main reason cited is
riots and violence, followed closely by economic problems, high prices
and unemployment.
• 26% of all respondents say that nothing
has improved in the country. For others, improvements include greater freedom,
the transitional government and preparations for independence, and improved
security.
• When asked about problems in the country,
violence and political conflict dominated the answers, and were regarded
by 29% of respondents as the two biggest problems facing East Timor.
• 60% of East Timorese, and younger East
Timorese in particular, disagree with the statement that the government
does not care about them.
• East Timorese overwhelmingly feel free
to express opinions where they live.
• Levels of concern about security within
East Timor and at the border with West Timor are fairly high.
• Perceptions of security at the border
are colored by perceptions of internal security. Unexpectedly, those most
concerned about border security tend to live in the districts furthest
from the border.
• Younger East Timorese expressed the
greatest concerns about security.
• There is a lot of concern about corruption,
collusion and nepotism in current and future government structures.
• Those with greater access to information
and with higher levels of education express greater concern about corruption,
collusion and nepotism.
• 42% of East Timorese say that they have
had to reduce purchases of basic goods due to price increases. 27% say
that they have remained unaffected by price increases.
• The eastern districts in East Timor
have been hit hardest by price increases.
• A large majority of East Timorese are
confident of a happy future for East Timor.
CIVIC EDUCATION
• 54% of those polled are interested in politics.
Men, younger East Timorese and those with higher levels of education are
more interested in politics.
• There is little clear understanding
of the meaning or implications of democracy.
36% understand democracy as freedom of
speech. 11% of respondents defined democracy in cautionary terms. No-one
equated democracy with elections.
• A majority of East Timorese view the
government in paternalistic terms.
Those in the east more strongly assert
that the government and people are equals.
• Tolerance for free expression appears
to wane in the context of political party campaigning. While 81% of East
Timorese say that they feel free to express their opinions, only a slim
majority, 53%, support all political parties holding meetings in their
areas.
• There is less tolerance for political
party activity in Dili and Baucau.
• 64% of those who consider political
party competition a bad thing are concerned about the potential for violence
and riots.
• A large majority of East Timorese support
the idea that women should be as active as men in positions of political
leadership. Young East Timorese are less likely to hold this opinion, and
women are no more likely to be stronger proponents than men of equal participation
in political leadership.
• Over half the population, 56%, do not
know anything about East Timor’s constitution.
VOTER EDUCATION
• 32% of eligible voters in East Timor have
not heard about Civil Registration. Those East Timorese without access
to media and in the more remote east and west of the country are least
aware.
• While 75% of eligible voters have heard
that there will be an election this year, only 30% know that the election
is scheduled for August 30.
• Only 5% of eligible voters correctly
stated that the election will be for a Constituent Assembly. 61% think
the upcoming election is for the presidency.
• 94% of respondents said that they would
vote. This does not guarantee a large turnout, though, since a majority
believe the election to be for something other than the Constituent Assembly.
• Only a slim majority, 52%, said that
voting in the 2001 election will make a difference. Men and better educated
East Timorese are more confident of the impact of voting.
• There is a lack of knowledge about the
political parties that currently exist.
• Riots and political party-related violence
are the two most prominent concerns expressed in relation to the electoral
process.
• 56% of respondents indicated that the
presence of election observers would increase their confidence that the
election will be free and fair.
• While a majority of respondents expressed
a preference for both East Timorese and foreign election observers, only
7% specifically expressed a preference for foreign observers.
MEDIA
• Radio is the most widely accessed medium
in East Timor.
• Despite 34% illiteracy nationwide, more
East Timorese are reading either newspapers or magazines and newsletters
than are watching television.
• Younger and better educated East Timorese
are listening to radio and watching television more often than those who
are older and less educated.
• The eastern four districts of East Timor
have particularly low levels of radio listenership.
• Radio UNTAET is clearly the most popular
radio station in the country and is popular across all major demographic
categories.
• Television viewership and VCD ownership
is heavily concentrated in Dili.
• The peak time for watching television
and listening to radio is 17:00 - 21:00.
• Suara Timor Lorosa’e (STL) is the most
widely read newspaper in East Timor, with 72% of those who read a newspaper
saying that they read STL most often.
• While Tais Timor is the most widely
read periodical, East Timorese publications with much smaller print runs
are more widely read in four districts.
• Tetum is the most widely spoken and
understood language by those accessing media in East Timor.
• Indonesian is a practical language for
use in media.
LANGUAGE
• The survey data confirm the strength of
Tetum as a practical and preferred language. More East Timorese understand
Tetum (91%) than any other language and can read and write Tetum (58%)
than any other language.
• Tetum was overwhelmingly selected, by
80% of respondents, as the language of choice for election related information.
Local languages were the second most popular choice at 17%, substantially
more popular than Indonesian (3%).
• The use of local languages is strong
and widespread: A majority of East Timorese (57%) identify a local language,
other than Tetum, as their mother tongue. The remaining 43% cite Tetum.
However, while 83% understand at least one local language, only 16% of
East Timorese can read and write a local language.
• Portuguese is the only language that
has a strong gender bias. While 21% of men can speak Portuguese and 19%
can read Portuguese, this can only be said of 12% and 8% of women, respectively.
• Age is a significant determinant of
language ability, with younger East Timorese relatively more proficient
in Tetum, Indonesian and English and older East Timorese relatively more
proficient in Portuguese.
• While 96% of those under 25 speak Tetum,
this can be said of 77% of those over 50. 83% of those under 25 can speak
Indonesian, as opposed to only 27% of those over 50. 27% of East Timorese
between the ages of 35 and 50 can speak Portuguese, as opposed to only
11% of those under 25.
• Those East Timorese with little or no
formal education rely far more heavily on Tetum and local languages (82%
speak Tetum, 90% a local language). Just 6% of this group have Portuguese
language ability and 32% of them can speak Indonesian.
• The level of illiteracy in East Timor
is still extremely high (34%).
Country-wide, 41% of women are illiterate,
compared to 31% of men. Illiteracy is highest in Oecussi (69%) and lowest
in Dili (20%) and Manatuto (18%).
CIVIC EDUCATION—RECOMMENDATIONS
Target Group: All voters
Emphasis:
• Fundamental Concepts of Democracy. Few
East Timorese know anything about democracy and none polled equate democracy
with elections. 40% of respondents revealed basic knowledge of rights but
there are limits to the support of rights of others (especially in regard
to political party campaigning).
• Representative and Accountable Government.
With the country’s first democratic election approaching, a majority of
East Timorese still view the government in paternalistic or authoritarian
terms.
• The Benefits of Political Party Competition.
Approximately half of the East Timorese polled are wary of political party
competition.
• East Timor’s Constitution. Few respondents
know that a process is underway to draft East Timor’s constitution—one
of the most important steps of which is the upcoming election.
Media:
• Radio is the most effective medium to
use (particularly between 17:00 and 21:00).
• There should also be a concentrated
effort to educate and engage Chefes de Suco and to encourage public discussions
at the village level.
Specific Target Groups:
• Women in particular should be targeted
for information on the fundamental concepts of democracy through village-based
discussions.
• Equal political participation by men
and women should be addressed more specifically with young East Timorese
and women. Young East Timorese are more likely to access all media and
understand Tetum and Indonesian, while radio and face-to-face discussions
would be more appropriate for women.
• Programs in Oecussi should give extra
attention to discussing the role of government and the constitutional drafting
process. Given high illiteracy rates and low media coverage in the districts,
public discussions should be used.
• East Timorese in Lautem, in particular,
need information on East Timor’s constitution. Public forums supplemented
by radio would be most effective.
• While residents in Viqueque, Aileu,
Liquica and Bobonaro feel most free to express their opinions, they are
less likely to accept political parties expressing themselves. These districts,
together with Dili and Baucau, would benefit from campaigns about political
party competition. Media coverage is relatively high in these districts.
VOTER EDUCATION—RECOMMENDATIONS
Target Group: All voters
Emphasis:
• Civil Registration. Public knowledge
about civil registration is an immediate priority given the fact that one-third
of respondents are unaware of the civil registration and that the deadline
for eligible voters to register is June 24.
• Who will organize the election. Voters
also need information about who is organizing the election (given the recent
creation of the Independent Electoral Commission).
• The purpose of the upcoming election.
Only 5% of respondents know the answer.
• Information on the parties who register
and why political party campaigning is beneficial. There is little knowledge
nationwide of the political parties that currently exist and little tolerance
for competition between them.
Media:
• Radio is the most effective medium to
use (particularly between 17:00 and 21:00).
• There should also be a concentrated
effort to educate and engage Chefes de Suco and to encourage public discussions
at the village level.
Specific Target Groups:
• Information on Civil Registration and
the election is critically needed in the more remote eastern and western
districts. Unless media coverage can be rapidly improved, this information
must be provided in public meetings or door-to-door.
• Older East Timorese should also be targeted
for civil registration and election information. Older East Timorese have
less access to media and are less likely than younger East Timorese to
speak Indonesian, so a face-to-face approach using Tetum or a local language
is needed.
• Programs should engage the political
parties themselves to address the concerns of East Timorese in the four
eastern districts about party competition and the potential for violence.
• Anti-violence initiatives should engage
women, younger East Timorese, and students prior to the election. Younger
East Timorese access a variety of media and are more likely than women
nationwide to speak Indonesian and Tetum.
• Women and those in the western districts
of Liquica, Ainaro, Covalima and Manufahi should be targeted concerning
the benefits of participating in the election process.
• Information about the role of election
observers should focus primarily on Dili and Baucau. While Dili enjoys
good media coverage, relatively speaking, more direct approaches are needed
in Baucau.
See
also:
BD:
Peoples' Participation - A collection of recent media releases, reports
and articles [sections on constitutional
process, civic education, elections]
BD:
Reconstruction and 'Aid & Development' - A collection of recent press
releases, reports, and articles [section
on education]
BACK
DOOR Newsletter on East Timor home
May news
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