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)

FOREWORD

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

CIVIC EDUCATION

VOTER EDUCATION

MEDIA

LANGUAGE

CIVIC EDUCATION—RECOMMENDATIONS

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

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]