Liberians Split on Country’s Direction, Economy -But Hopeful for Improved Future, Afrobarometer Survey Reveals

MONROVIA – Against the backdrop of the country’s recent presidential elections results which saw Liberians narrowly voting the incumbent Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) out of power in favor of former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Unity Party, so is the latest Afrobarometer survey reflective of how divided Liberians are in their assessments of the country’s overall direction and the economy, although the majority are hopeful that the economy will improve in the coming year, according to a May 30, 2025 Afrobarometer survey result published on Liberia.

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 was launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.

The Findings

Findings from the latest survey result indicate in increase in the number of Liberians who say the country is on the right track, doubling from one-fourth of the previous survey’s participants in 2022 to half of those surveyed in 2024.

The findings also indicate an equal split in citizens’ assessments of their personal living conditions. One-third of respondents say economic conditions have improved over the past 12 months, although a similar proportion thinks they have deteriorated. Four in 10 Liberians report having better personal living conditions than a year ago, while one-fourth say they are worse off.

The Afrobarometer survey results revealed how Liberians are evenly divided on the direction of the country, with half (50%) saying the country is going in the right direction and the other half (50%) saying it is going in the wrong direction. However, despite their divided assessment of the country’s direction, the latest survey showed citizens being optimistic of improved livelihood, with a 25 percentage increment as compared to 2022.

Citizens who believe the economy had improved constituted 45% of those who responded to the survey; while 48% did not believe the economy had improved. Interestingly, 46% of Liberians were equally split in the assessment of their personal living conditions, describing their conditions in positive and negative terms. However, 61% expressed optimism that the economy would improve over the coming year.