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DECEMBER 2015 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Democracy International, Inc.

A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH KEY FINDINGS

COVER PHOTO BY: Amandine Roche

Democracy International, Inc. 7600 Wisconsin Ave Suite 1010 Bethesda, MD 20814 Tel: 301-961-1660 www.democracyinternational.com

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A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH KEY FINDINGS DECEMBER 2015

DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................... 1

2.0 MAP OF AFGHANISTAN ..................................... 2

3.0 ABOUT THIS REPORT......................................... 3

4.0 KEY FINDINGS ..................................................... 4

5.0 GENERAL ISSUES ............................................... 6

6.0 SOCIETY AND CULTURE .................................... 7

7.0 GOVERNMENT .................................................... 9

8.0 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT ............................... 11

9.0 ELECTIONS ........................................................ 13

10.0 CONCLUSION .................................................... 14

11.0 DEMOGRAPHICS ............................................... 14

APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY ............................................. A-1

APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT................................... B-1

APPENDIX C: DATA TABLES ................................................ C-1

A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Youth are the largest and perhaps the most critical demographic in Afghanistan today.Sixty percent of Afghans are under 35 years old and 25 percent of all Afghans are between the ages of 18 and 35. Not only do these youth represent a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, but, according to DI’s 2015 Civic Education and Lessons Learned Survey, Afghan youth made up more than half of voters in the 2014 elections.

As such a large constituency, youth will likely have a significant impact on the future of Af-ghanistan’s democracy and economy. Youth participation in elections and engagement in the democratic process as a whole are critical for the long-term consolidation of democracy in Afghanistan. Afghan youth also make up a substantial portion of the workforce. It is therefore vital that Afghan policymakers and international stakeholders understand the issues facing Afghan youth today. To that end, in the summer of 2015, DI interviewed thousands of young Afghans to take the pulse of this crucial segment of Afghanistan’s population on critical is-sues like politics, the economy, and security. This report details the survey findings and high-lights trends in the opinions of Afghan youth – both university students and the general youth population.

Afghan lawmakers have acknowledged the importance of young people for Afghanistan’s economic, political, and social well-being. During his campaign for president, President Ghani asserted in his “Manifesto of Change and Continuity” that “there’s a need to invest in a comprehensive and deep-running fundamental change” for a stable future for young people. 1 President Ghani proposed an education program geared towards young people who were una-ble to attend school and a special fund focused on the development of women and youth. As of December 2015, neither of these promises has come to fruition.2 Today, the Government of Afghanistan is faced with a youth constituency that is frustrated with the country’s leader-ship, not very politically engaged, underemployed, and emigrating – or trying to emigrate – from Afghanistan at growing rates.3

DI, in partnership with Tadbeer Consulting, conducted this survey to give stakeholders essen-tial information to identify what is keeping youth from engaging fully in Afghanistan’s de-mocracy and to develop solutions to the issues motivating young Afghans to flee their coun-try. The 66-question survey instrument was administered to 4,020 randomly selected Afghans between the ages of 18 and 35 in all 34 provinces and 1,000 students from 15 public and pri-vate universities in 12 provinces. Fieldwork was conducted from May 3 to August 15, 2015.

1 Manifesto for Change and Continuity, http://govmeter.tolonews.com/pdf/Ashraf_Ghani_Manifesto.pdf 2 From Words to Action Website, http://govmeter.tolonews.com 3 The Atlantic, Frud Bezhan, “’Stay With Me:’ Afghan Government Beg Citizens Not To Flee,” http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/afghanistan-brain-drain-migrant-crisis/406708/

http://govmeter.tolonews.com/


2.0 MAP OF AFGHANISTAN


3.0 ABOUT THIS REPORT

STUDENT RESPONDENTS Recognizing the impact of education on perspective, DI used a methodology that allowed for the the comparison of the views of more educated youth with “general” Afghan youth. The opinions of more educated youth were solicited from students at universities around the coun-try. The “general” view was solicited from a survey DI administered to randomly selected young people living in randomly selected households, as detailed in the methodology section below. Respondents to the general survey are referred to as “general youth” or “household youth” respondents throughout this report.

COMPARISONS W ITH EARLIER SURVEYS DI has conducted several nationwide surveys in Afghanistan over the years and has used data collected in these surveys to draws comparisons in this report. Although the 2013 and 2014 surveys polled samples of the entire adult population, the results referenced in this report were disaggregated by age group so that it only reflects the opinions of respondents aged 18-35.

REPORT LANGUAGE Some questions in the survey asked respondents to give answers according to a scale. The language in this report reflects the options respondents were given. When respondents were asked to give an overall assessment, their options were very bad, fairly bad, fairly good, or very good. When asked to describe their satisfaction, respondents could say very dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied, or very satisfied. Respondents could express no confidence, some confidence, or a lot of confidence in various institutions. When asked whether they agree or disagree with a statement, the options were: strongly disagree, some-what disagree, somewhat agree, or strongly agree.


4.0 KEY FINDINGS

Youth are more concerned about their economic status than politics.

• When asked what the biggest problem facing Afghan youth today is, the majority of all respondents (82% of household youth and 72% of students) cited unemployment and poverty.

• The percentage of household youth respondents who name unemployment as the big-gest problem facing youth has more than doubled since 2013.

Students are more interested and engaged in the political sphere than the general youth population but few young people are actually politically and civically active.

• In the household youth survey, just over 4 of 10 respondents are somewhat or very in-terested in national and local politics compared to about 7 of 10 surveyed students.

• Students are more likely than the general youth population to participate in civic ac-tivities. Students are nearly twice as likely to run for an elected office as the general youth population and are more likely to vote than the general youth population.

• Only 22 percent of the students surveyed and 7 percent of the general youth popula-tion participated in a demonstration in the last 5 years.

• Sixteen percent of students surveyed – and only 9 percent of youth in the general population – worked for a candidate or political party in the 2014 elections.

Young women face more barriers to political participation than young men.

• In both groups of youth, women reported being invited to participate in political ac-tivities much less frequently than men and are less likely than men to attend political or civil society events.

• Female respondents to the household youth survey are most likely to report cultural barriers as the primary obstacle to increased involvement in politics and security sec-ond.

• A plurality of female household youth respondents (32%) who did not vote in the 2014 presidential and provincial council elections cites male family members pre-venting them from voting as the main reason.

There is a crisis of confidence in the government among Afghan youth.

• Significant numbers of general respondents reported having no confidence in the Par-liament (38%), the National Unity Government (39%), the President (43%), and the CEO (44%).

• A majority of household youth respondents (66%) experience at least some difficulty in obtaining services at government offices, and half of household youth respondents have no confidence that the judicial system would punish the guilty and protect their rights if they were a victim of a crime.

• The vast majority of young people believe to some degree that politicians mostly work for the interest of their own ethnicity (90%), are only interested in people’s votes (90%), and lose touch with young people quickly once elected (89%).


Youth are committed to the rule of law, but frustrated with corruption.

• Nearly all youth surveyed (98%) believe a model youth citizen must be law abiding, but 57 percent of youth believe it is impossible to live in Afghanistan without com-mitting corruption or paying a bribe.

• Youth overwhelmingly believe there should be strict punishments for corruption, alt-hough a strong majority (65%) believes there is nothing the government can do when leaders break the law.

• Young Afghans believe parliament can play an important role in combatting corrup-tion, with 72 percent believing it can hold government accountable.


5.0 GENERAL ISSUES

The biggest problems for youth are associated with their economic status. When asked what the biggest problem facing Afghan youth today is, the majority of student respondents (72%) and respondents to the household youth survey (82%) cited unemployment and poverty; ac-cess to education and insecurity were cited as the second and third biggest problems, respec-tively. The percentage of household youth respondents who name unemployment as the big-gest problem facing youth has more than doubled since 2013, while the rate of household youth respondents citing insecurity as the biggest problem has dropped from 46 percent in 2013 to just five percent this year. These numbers do not vary significantly across regions or income levels. Despite Afghanistan’s worsening security problem, young Afghans are most concerned about finding jobs and a steady income.

Household youth and student respondents alike overwhelmingly feel that the overall econom-ic situation in Afghanistan is bad: 82 percent of student respondents and 76 percent of house-hold youth respondents said that the situation is either very bad or fairly bad. However, when asked to assess their personal economic situation, respondents were much more positive. A plurality of respondents to the household youth survey (50%) said their economic situation is fairly good. Nearly 80 percent of student respondents described their personal economic situa-tion as at least fairly good, despite fears of unemployment and a bleak prognosis for the coun-try’s economic situation as a whole. Among the general population, youth living in urban are-as of Afghanistan are more likely to describe their personal economic situation as good than those in rural areas.

Half of the household youth survey respondents and 63 percent of students defined “democra-cy” as freedom and about a quarter of students defined it as good governance and representa-tion. Almost a third of household youth survey respondents (30%) did not know how to de-fine it. General youth respondents were nearly split in their satisfaction with how democracy works in Afghanistan. Household youth survey respondents with a high school or university level education were more likely to say that they are very dissatisfied with democracy in Af-ghanistan. The percentage of household youth survey respondents who are somewhat or very satisfied with how elections work in Afghanistan decreased by almost half since 2014. The 2014 survey was conducted just after the conclusion of the presidential election. Given there has been no election since the survey was conducted, it is possible that growing dissatisfac-tion with the outcome of the election – namely, the National Unity Government – has affected views of the process itself.

Most respondents to both the household youth and student surveys never attend meetings or events organized by political parties, local development councils, youth groups, human rights organizations, ethnic or cultural organizations, or volunteer groups. A plurality of student re-spondents (45%) also reported that they never attend meetings or events at their mosques, but almost a third of student respondents (32%) attend mosque events daily; attendance rates for events at mosques are similar for respondents to the household youth survey. Notably, univer-sity students do not seem to engage with youth groups or political organizations with more regularity than the general youth population. General youth respondents living in rural areas are about twice as likely to attend Community Development Council (CDC) or District De-velopment Assembly (DDA) meetings at least once or twice a year as those in urban areas. Women are less likely than men to attend any events.

Most student and household youth respondents rely on television as their primary source for information. Student respondents are much more likely than the general youth population to get their information from the Internet. About two-thirds of students cited the Internet as a source of information while only 15 percent of respondents to the household youth survey reported that they use the Internet to get information. This discrepancy is explained by the disparity in access to the Internet. Only about 19 percent of the general youth population sur-


veyed has access to the Internet, while three-quarters of students surveyed have access. About half of those respondents to both the student and household youth surveys who have Internet access to the use it daily, and many others use it at least a few times a week. Large majorities of both student respondents (82%) and general youth respondents (81%) who have access to the Internet have received or shared information through social networks. Among the general youth population, 86 percent of male respondents and 64 percent of women have used social networks to share or receive information.

Students also rely heavily on their universities to provide them with information. Forty-four percent of student respondents cited university as a source of information, making it the fourth most important source after television, radio and the Internet. Students and respondents to the household youth survey with university degrees were also more likely to cite newspa-pers as a source of information.

6.0 SOCIETY AND CULTURE

The survey asked youth about their confidence in various institutions in Afghanistan. The ma-jority of both student (75%) and general respondents (76%) expressed a lot of confidence in the Afghan National Army (ANA). Furthermore, a majority of respondents reported having confidence in the Afghan National Police (ANP). Although security threats vary from region to region, respondents from insecure areas were just as likely as their counterparts from more secure areas to have confidence in the ANA and ANP. Most general youth respondents (39%) also reported having at least some confidence in the media. Majorities of those surveyed said they had no confidence in the Independent Election Commission (IEC) (53%), Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) (53%), and political parties (56%). There was little variation between the responses of the general youth population and those of the student pop-ulation. Youth in the Central Highlands region of Afghanistan are far more likely than those in other regions to have at least some confidence in their local governments, with 92 percent of respondents there reporting some or a lot of confidence in local government. In general, youth are unenthusiastic about the political leadership of Afghanistan. Large majorities of respondents reported having either no confidence or some confidence in the Parliament, the National Unity Government, the President, and the CEO.

Respondents find it difficult to obtain services from the government. A majority of household youth respondents (66%) experience at least some difficulty in obtaining services at govern-ment offices, and half of household youth respondents have no confidence that the judicial system would punish the guilty and protect their rights if they were a victim of a crime. Meanwhile, only 34 percent of general youth respondents find it easy to obtain access to wa-ter and electricity, with the respondents living in the Central Highlands, West, and Southeast of Afghanistan finding it most difficult to obtain these basic services. Despite this widespread disappointment with the government’s ability to deliver certain services, three-quarters of general youth respondents reported that it is somewhat or very easy to access public educa-tion, 62 percent of respondents feel it is at least somewhat easy to obtain medical treatment in nearby facilities, and just over half of respondents (53%) said they are easily able to obtain help from the police. An interesting pattern emerges when the survey results are disaggregat-ed by gender. More women than men reported that they had never tried to obtain certain ser-vices from the government such as an identity document, public education, help from the po-lice, or administrative services. About a quarter of female respondents never tried to obtain help from the police or administrative services from government offices. Furthermore, among youth that do try, women are more likely than men to describe this process as “very difficult.” For example, 27 percent of female respondents say that obtaining public education is some-what or very difficult compared to 16 percent of male respondents.

When asked what qualities are essential to being a model youth citizen, nearly all general youth respondents (98%) maintained that it is somewhat or very important that the model


youth citizen be law abiding. About 98 percent of respondents across all ethnicities believe that a model citizen should be patriotic and loyal to the country. In terms of political engage-ment, majorities of respondents find that voting in every election (97%), following political issues in the media (83%), joining a political party and engaging in political discussions (68%), as well as participating in peaceful protests against unjust laws (68%) are important activities model youth citizens should undertake. A larger percentage of student respondents (76%) believe that joining a political party and engaging in political discussions is at least somewhat important for the model youth citizen.

Although 89 percent of general youth respondents say it is at least somewhat important that a model youth citizen take part in activities promoting human rights, a smaller percentage (72%) of respondents indicated that a model citizen should disregard a law that violates hu-man rights. These response rates are consistent across geography, ethnicity, gender, income, and education.

DI asked youth a series of questions about the role of women in Afghan society. About 95 percent of both male and female general youth survey respondents believe that women have the right to both own and inherit land and property. The consensus between men and women also extends to the contention that women should be able to (1) have control over income they earn without the permission of their husband or family member (63%); (2) conduct business and sell produce in the market just as men do (81%); and (3) have access to government pro-tection against an abusive male family member (84%). Competing views between men and women emerge on political involvement, education, and questions of domestic obedience. For instance, fewer men than women believe that women should run for public offices (47 percent of male and 83 percent of female respondents). Nearly three quarters of men agree that wom-en are less suited for politics than men. A majority of men (63%) consider a university educa-tion to be more important for a man than for a woman. Although most men strongly disagree with physically disciplining a woman who has conceivably disobeyed or brought shame to the family, 75 percent strongly agree that it is acceptable to divorce her. General youth respond-ents with university degrees are more likely than those with less education to express more progressive views about the role of women in Afghan society. For example, 62 percent of respondents with a university education strongly agreed that women should run for office, compared to an average of 54 percent of respondents with less education. Response rates tend to be similar among student respondents, but student respondents were less likely than general youth respondents to agree that a university education is more important for a man than for a woman.

Compared to the general youth population, Afghan students are more comfortable with indi-viduals of different ethnicities and religions. The survey found that 87 percent of student re-spondents, compared to 73 percent of general youth respondents, would feel somewhat or very comfortable if their neighbor were a member of a different ethnicity. Furthermore, while 61 percent of general youth respondents would feel somewhat or very comfortable if their brother or sister were to marry someone from a different ethnicity, 78 percent of students hold the same view. A different trend emerged when survey respondents were asked about Af-ghans of other religions. Both student and general youth respondents are far less comfortable with neighbors of another religion (39% and 22%, respectively). Only a small percentage of student respondents (6%) and general youth respondents (3%) would feel somewhat or very comfortable with their brother or sister marrying someone of a different religion.


Support for reconciliation with the Taliban and other insurgent groups has increased over the last few years. In 2013, 55 percent of youth respondents to a survey of the general population were either likely or very likely to support reconciliation efforts. The following year, the number grew to 61 percent and in 2015, 65 percent of respondents said they were likely or very likely to support reconciliation with the Taliban. A higher percentage of males (71%) than females (60%) reported that they are likely to support reconciliation. Respondents in the South and Southeast of Afghanistan are most likely to support reconciliation with the Taliban or other insurgent groups.

7.0 GOVERNMENT

Afghan youth have positive opinions about the National Unity Government (NUG) as a whole, but are frustrated with the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A majority of respondents to the household youth survey (64%) are at least somewhat supportive of the Na-tional Unity Government, but more than 20 percent of respondents are not supportive of the NUG at all. Nearly a third (30%) of students are not at all supportive of the NUG. Pluralities of respondents to the household youth survey are very dissatisfied with the performances of


both President Ghani (47%) and CEO Abdullah (47%) over the last five months and just over a third of respondents are at least somewhat satisfied with the President’s and CEO’s perfor-mances. In the South, nearly a quarter of respondents are very satisfied with President Ghani’s performance in the last five months and more than two-thirds of respondents in the East are very dissatisfied with the CEO’s performance.

Survey respondents were asked to share their opinions on the role of the Afghan government. A significant majority of general youth respondents (62%) strongly believe that the govern-ment has the right to prevent the media from publishing items that might be politically desta-bilizing. More than three-quarters of respondents with university degrees strongly agree with this statement, which highlights Afghans’ fears of a political crisis, even if it comes at the cost of restricted media.

Sixty-five percent of respondents strongly believe that there is nothing the government can do when leaders break the law. However, a large majority of respondents (72%) at least some-what agree that the Parliament is capable of holding the government accountable. Significant majorities of respondents in the household youth (70%) and student (86%) surveys were able to correctly identify that members of parliament are chosen by a vote. A large majority of general youth respondents (86%) at least somewhat agree that power in Afghanistan is in the hands of a few leaders and most respondents (63%) strongly agree that power is based on eth-nicity in Afghanistan.

In general, survey respondents feel strongly that it is the government’s responsibility to en-sure that Afghanistan is economically and politically secure and to reduce inequality in Af-ghanistan. Large majorities of general youth respondents said that the government should def-initely be responsible for providing employment (88%); keeping prices under control (83%); providing basic health services (87%); providing education facilities (87%); guaranteeing peace and stability within the country (88%); promoting national unity (79%); and providing infrastructure like roads, sewage, and electricity (88%). Fewer respondents believe that reduc-ing differences in income and wealth (64%) and ensuring equal political opportunities for men and women (67%) should definitely be the responsibility of the government. There was not a marked difference in responses disaggregated by income bracket or gender.

About two-thirds of general youth respondents said that they are not well informed about the activities of their current provincial representatives in parliament, though only about half of those respondents with a university education said they were not well informed.

A majority of respondents to the household youth survey (51%) said that security should be the number one investment of government money; a plurality of respondents (34%) listed ed-ucation as the second most important investment. While household youth survey respondents were split on whether they would be willing to pay more taxes to fund more government ser-vices, a majority of student respondents (62%) said they would be willing to pay more taxes. Students with higher incomes were more likely to be willing to pay more taxes, while re-sponses were evenly distributed between students at private universities and students at public universities.

A modest majority of general youth respondents said that it is not possible to live in Afghani-stan without committing corruption or paying a bribe (57%). However, in the Central High-lands region of the country, an overwhelming 95 percent of respondents said that it is not pos-sible. More than half of respondents at least somewhat disagree that the NUG combats gov-ernment corruption while 40 percent of respondents at least somewhat agree with that state-ment. A majority (76%) of respondents think that the government should institute strict pun-ishments to combat corruption. About a third of respondents suggested that leaders be re-placed with individuals who will fight corruption. Respondents also suggested banning cor-rupt officials from public office and providing public officials with better salaries as means to combat corruption in the government.


8.0 POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

Afghan students are more interested in national and local level politics than the general youth population by a significant margin. In the household youth survey, just more than 4 of 10 re-spondents are somewhat or very interested in national and local politics compared to about 7 of 10 surveyed students. Among the general youth population, more men are interested in pol-itics than women – about half of men compared to about a third of women. That gender dis-parity does not exist in the student population.

A strong majority of both the student and general youth respondents strongly agree that youth have the right to participate in politics and that they should be encouraged to engage in poli-tics and other civic activities. While about 9 of 10 students strongly agree with these state-ments, about 7.5 of 10 household youth survey respondents strongly agree. Among the gen-eral youth population, there is a regional variation. Youth in the Southeast and East regions are less likely to strongly agree than youth in other regions; youth in the Central Highlands region are the most likely to strongly agree. However, there is little dispute among young Af-ghans about what their place should be in the political and civic sphere as nearly all at least somewhat agree with the statements.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, students discuss politics with their peers and adult family members more frequently than youth in the general population. Seventy-two percent of students sur-veyed sometimes or often discuss such topics with peers compared to 46 percent of the gen-eral population. Nearly sixty percent of students sometimes or often discuss politics with adult family members compared to only 37 percent of the general population. Among the household youth survey respondents who report discussing politics with some frequency, young men are twice as likely to do so with their peers compared to young women, but they are equally likely to have those conversations with adult family members. Interestingly, among students, while men (79%) are more likely than women (66%) to discuss politics with their peers, women (67%) are more likely than men (49%) to have those discussions with adult family members. Although it is not common for youth to discuss politics with religious leaders, political parties, government officials, members of parliament, and community lead-ers, youth in the general population are more likely to report that they do not meet with these people at all.

Students are at least twice as likely as household youth respondents to be invited by civil so-ciety groups, election officials, political candidates, government officials, political parties, and parliamentarians to participate in political activities. Students are also more likely than general youth to be included by provincial council members, albeit at a smaller rate, and the groups reported mullahs reaching out to them at a comparable rate. Across the board in both groups of youth, women reported being invited to participate in political activities much less frequently than men and female youth in the household survey are not more likely to report being included by provincial council members and mullahs like their male counterparts.

A large majority of both student and general youth respondents believe voting in elections, working to secure media coverage, working with local civic groups, and participating in pub-lic demonstrations are somewhat or very effective civic activities. The vast majority of stu-dents (92%) and household youth survey respondents (88%) are likely or very likely to vote in elections. When asked about participation in other civic activities – working on political campaigns, running for political office, blocking roads in protest, and demonstrating peaceful-ly – students were more likely than the general youth population to participate in all of them.


After voting, most youth in both categories are most likely to participate in peaceful demon-strations. Notably, students are nearly twice as likely to run for an elected office as the gen-eral youth population. Twenty-two percent of the students surveyed participated in a demon-stration in the last 5 years compared to only 7 percent of the general youth population. Among both groups, men are much more likely to attend a demonstration than women.

Forty-five percent of students, and only 18 percent of the general youth population, want to be more involved in local or national politics. As a whole, both groups reported that security is the foremost barrier to further involvement. In the household survey, women were most likely to report cultural barriers as the primary obstacle and security second. Male respondents were most likely to report poverty as the primary obstacle ahead of security. For male and female students, security is the foremost concern followed by continuing their education.

The perception of politicians among all youth is fairly negative. The vast majority of young people believe to some degree that politicians mostly work for the interest of their own eth-nicity, are only interested in people’s votes, and lose touch with young people pretty quickly once elected. A smaller number of students (54%) and household youth survey respondents (47%) agreed to some degree that politicians care about young people like them.


Students believe the most effective ways to have youth voices heard is through peaceful demonstrations (39%) and through the media (37%). Youth respondents from the household youth survey believe the most effective ways to have youth voices heard is through peaceful demonstrations (30%) and through pursuing higher education (21%).

9.0 ELECTIONS

A majority of Afghan youth report having voted in at least one round of the 2014 presidential and provincial council elections. Of those who voted, a plurality believes the elections were not credible at all. Students were more likely to report having voted than the general youth population and men more than women. Similarly, students and men are also more likely to believe the elections were not credible. Although rural youth are more likely to vote than ur-ban youth, a higher rate of urban youth think the elections lacked credibility. Of those that did not vote, about a quarter of students and household youth respondents report not having a voter registration card as the main reason. A plurality of female household youth respondents cites male family members preventing them from voting as the main reason. Other top rea-sons for household youth respondents not participating in the elections are being underage (11%), security (9%), and not having eligible candidates (8%). Among students, the other top reasons are that the voting process was not transparent (18%), being underage (13%), and not having eligible candidates (11%).

Sixty-five percent of students and the general youth population in Afghanistan credit their family as having the greatest influence on their voting behavior with more females making this claim than men by 17 percentage points. Significantly more students (42%) are influ-enced by the media than youth from the general population (23%).

Afghan youth overwhelmingly agree on the importance of voting in national and local elec-tions, including in parliamentary elections. Sixteen percent of students surveyed – and only 9 percent of youth in the general population – worked for a candidate or political party in the 2014 elections. If the parliamentary elections were being held in the near future, a large plu-rality of youth would vote for a candidate or party difference from the current administration: 44 percent of household youth survey respondents and 50 percent of students. A quarter of the respondents to both surveys would vote for the current candidate or party.

The problems of the 2014 elections appear to have negatively impacted some youth’s confi-dence in the electoral process. Despite the vast majority of youth – 93 percent of household youth respondents and 96 percent of students – reporting they at least somewhat agree that it is important to vote in parliamentary elections, 15 percent of youth from the general popula-tion and 16 percent of students say they would not vote. The foremost reason among youth who would not vote is corruption at the Independent Election Commission with 29 percent of household youth respondents and 57 percent of students citing this reason. Among students who would not vote in the elections, 18 percent say it is because there will be no eligible can-didates and another 18 percent say it is because their vote would not make a difference.


10.0 CONCLUSION

Youth are the future of Afghanistan and investment in them should be a key, if not the fore-most, priority of Afghanistan’s National Unity Government. The survey results detailed in this report highlight the need for President Ghani and CEO Abdullah to adopt a national strat-egy to invest in Afghan youth. On the campaign trail, both candidates touted the importance of providing more opportunities for young Afghans. Now, in government, they should follow through on these promises.

This report highlights the pressing need to provide more opportunities for Afghan youth, spe-cifically in education, employment, and for civic engagement. Only by taking tangible steps to provide such opportunities can the government repair its reputation among youth, who, as the survey results show, have little confidence in their government.

Educated young Afghans largely have constructive and progressive views on the key issues facing their country, but they face an economic crisis that offers them little hope for the future and are discouraged by the security situation in their country. As a result, the Afghan gov-ernment today is struggling to keep its most promising young people in the country to help work to rebuild the country. More and more, young Afghans are fleeing the country and ap-plying for asylum abroad where they see better opportunities for employment and a brighter future for them and their families. The future success of the Afghan state depends on the abil-ity of the government to stem this tide.

President Ghani has recently taken concrete steps in the right direction by launching a nation-al employment program which is designed to provide more job opportunities to youth. This is an encouraging first step. Effectively addressing this issue, however, will require an all-of-government approach that recognizes that investment in youth is an investment in the future strength and stability of Afghanistan. It is the level of this investment and the seriousness of its commitment that may determine the success of Afghanistan’s ongoing development.


11.0 DEMOGRAPHICS

GENDER

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Male 50 49.8 Female 50 50.2 Total 100 100

AGE

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % 18-20 35.2 29.2 21-23 40.4 15.8 24-26 17.8 14.0 27-29 4.8 10.9 30-32 1.0 12.3 33-35 0.8 18.0 Total 100 100

ETHNICITY

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Pashtun 38.3 33.5 Tajik 36.1 37.3 Hazara 14.1 11.5 Uzbek 7.5 9.0 Other 3.7 8.6 Refused 0.3 0.0 Total 100 100

MONTHLY INCOME

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD %

Less than 2000 Afs 3.5 4.9

2000-5000 Afs 10.3 29.4

5001-15000 Afs 40.3 49.8

More than 15000 Afs 40.1 16.0

Don’t Know 4.7 0

Refused 1.0 0

Total 100 100

EDUCATION

HOUSEHOLD % Never went to school 38.9 Informal schooling 5.0 Primary school (classes 1 to 6) 14.9 Secondary school (classes 7 to 9) 7.6


EMPLOYMENT STATUS

High school (classes 10 to 12) 22.4 University education 11.1 Total 100

HOUSEHOLD %

Working Full Time 23.1

Working Part Time 8.8

Housewife 36.7

Student 17.8

Unemployed 13.6

Refused 0.1

Total 100

A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH A-1

APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY

The objective of this quantitative survey was to assess youth participation in Afghan electoral processes, their engagement in Afghan politics, and to better understand the role of youth in holding elected representatives accountable beyond elections.

THE QUESTIONNAIRE

DI’s research team conducted an extensive desk review of the existing literature on issues related to the nature of youth political engagement in Afghanistan today before compiling the survey questions. DI compiled a total of 79 questions including demographics, most of which were closed-ended. The questionnaire was divided into six main thematic sections, excluding basic demographic data: (1) main concerns affecting youth’s daily lives, (2) sources of infor-mation, (3) society and culture, (4) government, (5) political activities, and (6) elections. The questionnaire was translated into Dari and Pashto.

PILOT TEST

DI pilot-tested the questionnaire before beginning fieldwork to ensure the clarity of individual questions and to identify issues that might affect the survey quality. DI pilot-tested a total of 40 questionnaires, including 20 questionnaires with households in two urban municipal dis-tricts (Nahia 5 and Nahia 13 of Kabul city) and in two rural areas (Karizak village and Rish-khoor village in Paghman and Chahar Asyab districts) as well as 20 questionnaires at Kabul University (public) and Bakhtar University (private). The questionnaire was modified based on the results of this test. During the pilot, the average time for survey administration was 50 minutes.

SAMPLING

According to the Central Statistic Organization of Afghanistan (Afghanistan Statistical Year-book 2015-16), 25.1 percent of the population is between 18-35 years of age. With a sample size of 4,020 out of a youth population of approximately 6,810,349 the survey has a margin of error of ±1.55% at a 95% confidence level with an estimate of 50 percent response distribu-tion. To minimize the margin of error at the provincial level, DI created a proportional sam-pling plan which was stratified by province, urban-rural divide, and gender using the 2015-16 population data from Afghanistan’s Central Statistics Organization as a reference. In order to allow comparison of the opinions of the more educated and the less educated Afghan youths, 1000 students from 15 public and 16 private universities in 12 provinces were also inter-viewed. Approximately 200 interviews were allocated to each of the five regions. In the prov-inces where there are both public and private universities represented, at least one public and one private university was selected at random. In provinces where there were no private uni-versities represented, only public universities were included in the sample. Students were se-lected for interview through systematic random sampling when they exited their regularly scheduled courses.

MALE/FEMALE

Source: Central Statistics Organization, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Statistical Yearbook 2015-16.

GENDER DI SURVEY % CSO % DIFFERENCE % Male 49.5 49.8 -0.3

Female 49.7 50.2 0.3 Total 100 100


URBAN/RURAL

Source: Central Statistics Organization, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Statistical Yearbook 2015-16.

*There are approximately 1.5 million nomadic people in Afghanistan not accounted for in these figures.

A total of 402 sampling points were distributed with 10 interviews per each sample point. The Sheharwali (the municipal administration in Afghanistan) defines the urban population as those living within municipal limits (Nahia). By default, the rural population is comprised of those who are living outside the municipal limits. The rural areas are defined neither in terms of population density nor remoteness. In rural areas, each sample point represented a village. In each province, the number of sampling points was equally divided to accommodate having enumerators and respondents from the same gender in order to adhere to Afghan cultural practices.

The survey stratification included the following sampling plan:

1) Provincial level: Proportional to the population size in each province. 2) Urban/Rural level: Proportional to urban/rural population size in each province. 3) District level: Random selection in each province proportional to the number of dis-

tricts demarcated in each province. 4) Intra-district level: Random selection of settlements in each district. 5) Gender distribution: Proportional to gender ratio, 1:1 in each province.

INTERVIEW S

Tadbeer Consulting Inc., an Afghan research firm DI contracted to conduct the fieldwork for this survey, conducted the recruitment of all field staff. A total of 84 enumerators (42 male and 42 female) were deployed. DI dispatched 36 quality-control officers to verify the field-work conducted. At least one quality-control officer was deployed in each province. The data collection commenced on May 3, 2015 and was completed by August 15, 2015.

HOUSEHOLD SELECTION

At each sampling point, enumerators and team leaders picked easily recognizable landmarks, such as a bazaar, school, or mosque, as the starting point of the survey. In urban areas, enu-merators traveled in an assigned direction, stopped at the third street on the right hand side and selected the first house on the right. Systematic random sampling was used for selection of households by dividing the total number of households with the total number of sample units (to 10) with an assigned random start. In settlements with more than 100 households, a fixed interval (10) was applied to account for the sampling distribution within the settlement. Similarly in rural areas, enumerators turned right from landmark starting points and selected the third house.

RESPONDENT SELECTION

Interviewers used a Kish grid to randomly select household youth members from 18-35 age groups. A Kish grid was drawn with instructions on the first page of each questionnaire for enumerators to utilize while selecting the respondents in the field. Substitution of respondents was allowed in accordance with the Kish Grid. Interviewers were instructed to move on to the next right side house if the respondent refused to participate or were not available after three

URBAN/ RURAL DI SURVEY % CSO % DIFFERENCE % Urban 24.4 25.4 -1 Rural 75.6 74.6 1 Total 100 100


callback attempts. During fieldwork, 96.9 percent of interviews were completed on the first attempt, 2.8 percent on the second attempt, and 0.2 percent on the third attempt.

QUALITY CONTROL

To strengthen field data quality, DI’s research team deployed 36 quality-control officers to verify fieldwork in all provinces. The quality control team conducted direct observation of 22.7 percent of the household surveys. About 20.4 percent of the completed questionnaires were referred back to the concerned households for verification. Quality-control officers also reviewed 10 percent of completed questionnaires through a standard back-check form.

W EIGHTING AND DATA ANALYSIS

The final dataset was weighted using a raking algorithm to match with the national demographic parameters. The algorithm was stratified according to provincial population size, rural-urban divide, as well as gender.

RESEARCH TEAM The research team is composed of DI’s international and Afghan research staff based in Ka-bul and Bethesada, MD. Team members include Jed Ober, Dr. Silvia Susnjic, Naomi Ras-mussen, Julia Fusfeld, Sayed Akhtar, Mohammad Hassan Wafaey, Fauzia Rahimi Jamal, Mohammad Khalid Shinwari, and Mohammad Nabil Sadiqe.

A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH B-1

APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT

GENERAL QUESTIONS 1. How would you describe your overall economic situation? Would you say that it is…? [Inter-viewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very bad 1 Fairly bad 2 Fairly good 3 Very good 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 2. How would you describe Afghanistan’s economic situation as a whole? Would you say that it is…? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very bad 1 Fairly bad 2 Fairly good 3 Very good 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 3. What would you say is the biggest problem facing Afghan youth today? [Open-ended]

Answer: ___________ _________________________

Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 4. What is your definition of “Democracy”? [Interviewer: Open-ended response. Write only one response] ________________________________________

Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 4a. In general, would you say that you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatis-fied or very dissatisfied with the way democracy works in Afghanistan? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very dissatisfied 1 Somewhat dissatisfied 2 Somewhat satisfied 3 Very satisfied 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 5. In general, would you say that you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatis-fied or very dissatisfied with the way elections work in Afghanistan? [Interviewer: Read out op-tions, Select only one response] Very dissatisfied 1 Somewhat dissatisfied 2


Somewhat satisfied 3 Very satisfied 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 6. I am going to read you a list of groups and organizations. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? [Interviewer: Please repeat “daily”, “once a week”, “once or twice a month” ,“once or twice a year,” or “never” to help the interviewee]

Daily Once a week

Once or twice a month

Once or twice a year

Never Don’t know Refused

A. Mosque 1 2 3 4 5 98 99 B. CDC or

DDA+ 1 2 3 4 5 98 99

C. Political party 1 2 3 4 5 98 99 D. A youth or-

ganization af-filiated with a political party

1 2 3 4 5 98 99

E. A human rights organi-zation

1 2 3 4 5 98 99

F. A group con-ducting [vol-untary] activi-ties to help the community

1 2 3 4 5 98 99

G. A cultural as-sociation based on eth-nicity

1 2 3 4 5 98 99

H. [Women on-ly] Meetings of women as-sociations or home makers.

1 2 3 4 5 98 99

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? [Interviewer: select all that apply] TV 1 Radio 2 Newspaper 3 Internet/social network 4 Mullah Imam/Masjid 5 Community leader/shura 6 University/school 7 Telephone 8 Other: _____________________________ Refused 99 8. Do you have access to the internet? [Read out options, select only one response]


No [Interviewer: skip to 11] 1 Yes 2 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 11] 99 9. Have you read or shared information through any social networks such as Facebook or Twit-ter? [Read out options and select only one response] No, have not 1 Yes, I have 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 10. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes” in the Q8] How often do you use the internet? [Read out op-tions, select only one response] Never 1 Rarely 2 A few times a month 3 A few times a week 4 Daily 5 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 11. I am going to describe several ways that voters might be able to get information about Par-liamentary Elections in their communities. If the Parliamentary Elections were held in near fu-ture and you could attend two events, which two would you choose? [Read out options, select two responses] Live drama or comedy about elections 1 A meeting about elections in someone’s home 2 A party rally or meeting 3 A short film or movie 4 [Women only] Special gathering for women 5 Workshop by an international NGO 6 A candidate debate/rally 7 A special meeting about elections at your mosque 8 I would not attend any of these events 9

Other:________________________

Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 12. Please tell me your level of agreement with the following statements? [Interviewer: please ex-plain; Civic education is the process of informing the citizens of Afghanistan about the constitution, the organization and relationship of the different parts of the government, role of elected officials, how the government is to function and the responsibilities and benefits of a citizen.” [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response for each] Strongly

Disagree Somewhat Disagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree

Don’t know

Refused

A. Teaching civic education makes a difference for stu-dents’ political and civic de-velopment

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Schools are irrelevant for the development of students’ atti-tudes and opinions about mat-

1 2 3 4 98 99


ters of citizenship C. Education authorities pay little

attention to civic education 1 2 3 4 98 99

12a. Do you want civic education to be taught in schools? [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

13. I’m going to name a number of entities. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response for each] No confi-

dence Some con-fidence

A lot of confidence

Don’t know

Refused

A. People in your community 1 2 3 98 99 B. The president 1 2 3 98 99 C. The CEO 1 2 3 98 99 D. The courts 1 2 3 98 99 E. The NUG 1 2 3 98 99 F. Political parties 1 2 3 98 99 G. Parliament (lower and upper

house) 1 2 3 98 99

H. The ANA 1 2 3 98 99 I. The ANP 1 2 3 98 99 J. Local government (provin-

cial/district level) 1 2 3 98 99

K. CDCs 1 2 3 98 99 L. Media 1 2 3 98 99 M. Religious leaders 1 2 3 98 99 N. IEC 1 2 3 98 99 O. IECC 1 2 3 98 99 14. If you were a victim of a criminal case how much confidence do you have that the judicial system would punish the guilty and protect your rights? [Read out options, select only one re-sponse] No confidence 1 Some confidence 2 A lot of confidence 3 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 15. Sometimes people and communities request help from a government official or agency in order to solve problems. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [read the entities] in order to solve your problems? [Interviewer: Read out each statement, Select only one response for each] No Yes Don’t know Refused A. MPs (Wolesi Jerga/Meshrano Jirga) 1 2 98 99 B. Provincial council members 1 2 98 99 C. Local government (district governor, mayor, provin-

cial official/or governor) 1 2 98 99


D. Maliks/khans/wakili guzar 1 2 98 99 E. CDC, DDA+ 1 2 98 99 F. Ministries 1 2 98 99 G. Political parties 1 2 98 99 H. ANA/ANP 1 2 98 99 I. Religious leaders/ tribal leaders 1 2 98 99

Other __________________

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? [Inter-viewer: Read out each statement, Select only one response for each]

Very difficult

Somewhat difficult

Somewhat easy

Very easy

Never tried

Don’t know Refused

A. An identity docu-ment 1 2 3 4 97 98 99

B. An administrative work done at gov-ernment offices

1 2 3 4 97 98 99

C. Medical treatment at a nearby public centers

1 2 3 4 97 98 99

D. Access to public education 1 2 3 4 97 98 99

E. Access to public transportation 1 2 3 4 97 98 99

F. Access to wa-ter/electricity 1 2 3 4 97 98 99

G. Help from the po-lice 1 2 3 4 97 98 99

17. Of the following, which organization/institution do youth in Afghanistan relate to the most? [Interviewer: Read out options, select only one response] The Government of Afghanistan 1 The Taliban 2 Religious institutions 3 International partner countries, like the U.S. and the U.K. 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 18. I would like to know your personal opinion about the principles that should determine the behavior and attitudes toward women in our society. I will read out some statements and I would like you to tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with these statements? [Interview-er: please read out options, select only one response for each] Strongly


Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree


A. Women should run for public offices and take part in the gov-ernment just as men do

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Men and women should have the same legal rights and deci-sion-making powers,

1 2 3 4 98 99


both within and out-side the household

C. Men are more suited for politics than women

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. A university educa-tion is important for women.

1 2 3 4 98 99

E. A university educa-tion is more im-portant for a male than for a female

1 2 3 4 98 99

F. The Afghan govern-ment should provide more protection for women against phys-ical, sexual, emo-tional and/or verbal abuse from male family members

1 2 3 4 98 99

G. If a husband believes his wife is disobey-ing or bringing shame to him or the family, it is accepta-ble for him to physi-cally discipline her

1 2 3 4 98 99

H. If a husband believes his wife is disobey-ing or bringing shame to him or the family, it is accepta-ble for him to di-vorce her

1 2 3 4 98 99

I. Women can have control on income they earn and can spend without taking permission from husband/male mem-bers

1 2 3 4 98 99

J. Women can do busi-ness and sell the pro-duce in the market Just as men do

1 2 3 4 98 99

K. Women have the right to inherit land and property

1 2 3 4 98 99

L. Women have the right to own land and property

1 2 3 4 98 99

19. In your point of view as a youth citizen, how important do you believe each statement is for explaining what a good youth citizen should be or do. A model youth citizen should: [Interview-


er: please read out options, select only one response for each] Not im-

portant Somewhat unimportant

Somewhat important

Very im-portant

Don’t know

Refused

A. obey the laws 1 2 3 4 98 99 B. vote in every elec-

tion 1 2 3 4 98 99

C. join a political party and engage in politi-cal discussions

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. participate in a peaceful protest against a law be-lieved to be unjust

1 2 3 4 98 99

E. follow political is-sues in media 1 2 3 4 98 99

F. participate in activi-ties to benefit people in the community

1 2 3 4 98 99

G. take part in activities promoting human rights

1 2 3 4 98 99

H. be patriotic and loyal to the country 1 2 3 4 98 99

I. be willing to ignore a law that violated human rights

1 2 3 4 98 99

20. What is a more important priority for you? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Getting married and raising a family 1 Pursuing more education and focusing on your professional career 2 Both 3 Other: Don’t know 98 Refused 99 21. How likely would you be to support reconciliation with the Taliban or other insurgent groups in Afghanistan? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very unlikely 1 Unlikely 2 Likely 3 Very likely 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 22. Recently there has been discussion about international troops staying in Afghanistan longer than anticipated. Do you support the continued presence of international forces in Afghanistan? [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response] Not supportive at all 1 Somewhat unsupportive 2 Somewhat supportive 3 Very supportive 4 Don’t know 98


Refused 99 23. Do you want to see Afghanistan become more like Saudi Arabia, Turkey or the United States? [Interviewer: please read out options, Select only one response] Saudi Arabia 1 United States 2 Turkey 3 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 24. Do you have any intention of going to live or work in another country in the future? [Inter-viewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99

25. Please tell me how comfortable would you be if…? Not com-

fortable at all

Somewhat uncomforta-ble

Somewhat comfortable

Very com-fortable

Don’t know

Re-fused

A. Your brother/sister were to marry someone of a dif-ferent ethnicity

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Your brother/sister were to marry someone of a dif-ferent religion

1 2 3 4 98 99

C. Your neighbors were of a different ethnicity

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. Your neighbors were of a different religion

1 2 3 4 98 99

26. At present, are you a beneficiary of any youth employment programs (vocational trainings) run by the private sector, civil society or other institutions? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No Skip to 28 1 Yes 2 Refused Skip to 28 99 27. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes” in the Q26] Is the institution…….? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Governmental 1 Private 2 Non-profit NGO 3 Self-help group 4 Other (specify): Don’t Know 98 Refused 99


28. In your opinion, what is the reason for a high percentage of unemployed college graduates? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response]

Reason:

Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 29. Other than public educational institutions, is there any organization or program in your community providing literacy courses for out of school youths? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99

30. Other than public educational institutions, is there any organization or program in your community providing vocational skills for out of school youths? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99

GOVERNMENT 31. How supportive are you of the current National Unity Government (NUG) of Afghanistan? [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response] Not supportive at all 1 Somewhat unsupportive 2 Somewhat supportive 3 Very supportive 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 32. How satisfied are you with the performance of President Ghani during the last five months? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very dissatisfied 1 Somewhat dissatisfied 2 Somewhat satisfied 3 Very satisfied 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 33. How satisfied are you with the performance of CEO Abdullah during the last five months? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Very dissatisfied 1 Somewhat dissatisfied 2 Somewhat satisfied 3 Very satisfied 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99


34. I am going to read some statements about the government, and would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. [Interviewer: please read out each statement, select only one response for each]

Strongly Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree


A. The NUG government is accountable in re-gards to what they have promised

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. The media should have more freedom to pub-lish news and ideas without governmental oversight.

1 2 3 4 98 99

C. The government should have the right to pre-vent the media from publishing things that might be politically de-stabilizing.

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. Most citizens in Af-ghanistan don’t make much effort to influence government decisions.

1 2 3 4 98 99

E. When leaders break the laws, there is nothing the government can do.

1 2 3 4 98 99

F. All ethnic communities in Afghanistan are treated equally by the government.

1 2 3 4 98 99

G. The government/MoJ should consult religious leaders/Ulema when in-terpreting the Sharia laws.

1 2 3 4 98 99

H. The parliament is capa-ble of keeping the gov-ernment accountable.

1 2 3 4 98 99

I. In Afghanistan the power is in the hands of a few leaders.

1 2 3 4 98 99

J. In Afghanistan the power is given along ethnic lines.

1 2 3 4 98 99

35. I am going to read some statements, and would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government’s responsibility. [Interviewer: please read out each statement, select only one response for each]

Definitely not

Probably not

Probably should be

Definitely should be


A. Employment for citi-zens 1 2 3 4 98 99

B. To keep prices under 1 2 3 4 98 99


control C. To provide basic

health services 1 2 3 4 98 99

D. To reduce differences in income and wealth among people

1 2 3 4 98 99

E. To provide education facilities 1 2 3 4 98 99

F. To ensure equal politi-cal opportunities for men and women

1 2 3 4 98 99

G. To guarantee peace and stability within the country

1 2 3 4 98 99

H. To promote national unity among people in the country

1 2 3 4 98 99

I. Provide services such as highways, road sur-face or pavement, clean drinking water, sewage, electricity and etc.

1 2 3 4 98 99

36. Do you know how the members of parliament are elected? [Interviewer: please record the responses]

Answer: ……………………………………………..

Don’t know 98 Refused 99 37. Do you feel well informed about the activities of your current provincial representative in parliament? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No, I am not well informed 1 I am somewhat informed 2 Yes, I am well informed 3 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 38. The government allocates money to improve different services. Please tell which one of the following areas should take precedence of funding? Where should the government invest the most money? [Interviewer: Do not read options, Select two responses] First place Second place Education 1 1 Infrastructure (highways, water, sewage, electricity) 2 2

Housing 3 3 Retirement 4 4 Assistance to the poor 5 5 Health 6 6 Security 7 7

Other: _______________________ ________________________

Don’t Know 98 98


Refused 99 99 39. You might be aware that the government is not financially independent. Would you be will-ing to pay more taxes so that the government can spend more money on public services? [Inter-viewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 40. In your opinion is it possible for ordinary people to live a life in Afghanistan without com-mitting corruption or paying a bribe? [Interviewer: Read out options, select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 41. Would you say that you [Interviewer: read out options] that the NUG combats government corruption? [Interviewer: Read out options, select only one response] Strongly disagree 1 Somewhat disagree 2 Somewhat agree 3 Strongly agree 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 42. What actions or policies do you think can be taken by the government to eliminate corrup-tion and/or bribery? [Interviewer: Read out options, select up to three responses] Strict punishment for corruption 1 More transparency 2 Replace those in power with the ones that will fight corruption 3 Changes in legislation 4 Change people’s attitudes toward corruption 5 Ban corrupted officials from public office 6 Better salaries for public officials 7 Other (Specify):__________________________________ Don’t know 98 Refused 99

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 43. How interested are you in politics at the national level? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Not interested at all 1 Somewhat uninterested 2 Somewhat interested 3 Very interested 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 44. How interested are you in politics at the local level? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response]


Not interested at all 1 Somewhat uninterested 2 Somewhat interested 3 Very interested 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? [Interviewer: Read out each statement, select only one response for each]

Never Rarely Sometimes Often I don’t meet with these

people Refused

A. With people of your own age 1 2 3 4 5 99 B. With parents or other adult

family members 1 2 3 4 5 99

C. With community lead-ers/members (CDC/DDA members)

1 2 3 4 5 99

D. Government officials 1 2 3 4 5 99 E. Political parties 1 2 3 4 5 99 F. MPs 1 2 3 4 5 99 G. Mullah/religious leaders 1 2 3 4 5 99 46. In the last 5 years, have you participated in a demonstration or protest march? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No [Interviewer: skip to 48] 1 Yes 2 Don’t know [Interviewer: skip to 48] 98 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 48] 99 47. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes” in the Q46] How many times have you participated in a demonstration or protest march in the past 5 years? 1-3 1 4-10 2 11-15 3 16-20 4 20+ 5 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? [Interviewer: read out each question, select only one response for each] Not at all

effective Somewhat ineffective

Somewhat effective

Very ef-fective

Don’t know

Refused

A. Participating in pub-lic demonstrations 1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Working to get atten-tion by the media 1 2 3 4 98 99

C. Personally contacting influential people like MPs, tribal leaders

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. Voting in elections 1 2 3 4 98 99 E. Personally contacting 1 2 3 4 98 99


Mullah/religious leaders

F. Participating in ille-gal [violent] protest, marches

1 2 3 4 98 99

G. Through working with political parties 1 2 3 4 98 99

H. Through working with local action groups (CDCs, DDA+…)

1 2 3 4 98 99

49. Please tell me your feelings about the following statements. Would you say you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree? [Interviewer: read out each statement, select only one response for reach] Strongly


Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree

Don’t know

Refused

A. Youth have the right to participate in politics.

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Youth participation in politics and elec-tions should be en-couraged.

1 2 3 4 98 99

C. Youth participation in civic activities should be encour-aged.

1 2 3 4 98 99

50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? [Interviewer: read out each statement, select only one response for each]

Very un-likely Unlikely Likely Very

likely Don’t know Refused

A. working on campaigns for a po-litical party or candidate 1 2 3 4 98 99

B. voting in elections 1 2 3 4 98 99 C. participating in politics and elec-

tion as a candidate 1 2 3 4 98 99

D. blocking of roads to protest to grab attention of the government 1 2 3 4 98 99

E. peaceful demonstrations in order to express views 1 2 3 4 98 99

51. I am going to read the names of some entities, and would like you to tell me if any of the fol-lowing organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. [Interviewer: Read out options , select all that apply] Civil society groups 1 Election administration officials 2 Candidates for political offices 3 Government 4 Political Parties 5 Parliamentarians 6 Provincial council members 7 Mullahs 8


Other: ________________________ Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 52. Are you a member of a political party, movement, or coalition? No [Interviewer: skip to 54] 1 Yes 2 Don’t Know [Interviewer: skip to 54] 98 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 54] 99 53. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes” in the Q52] Which political party/coalition are you a mem-ber of? Name of political party/coalition (______________________________) Refused 99 54. Do you want to be more involved in local or national politics than you are now? No [Interviewer: skip to 56] 1 Yes 2 Don’t Know [Interviewer: skip to 56] 98 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 56] 99 55. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes” in the Q54] What is preventing you from getting more in-volved?

Answer:………………………………………………………………………………

Refused 99 56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? [Interviewer: read out each statement, Select only one response for each]

Strongly Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree

Don’t Know Refused

A. Politicians are mostly ethnic oriented and work for the in-terest of their own ethnicity

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Politicians care about young people like myself 1 2 3 4 98 99

C. Once elected, politicians lose touch with the young people pretty quickly

1 2 3 4 98 99

D. Politicians are only interest-ed in people’s vote, not in their opinion

1 2 3 4 98 99

E. Politicians are eligible in terms of knowledge and leadership skills in politics

1 2 3 4 98 99

57. How can the youth have their voice heard?

Answer:……………………………………………………………………………..


Don’t know 98 Refused 99

ELECTIONS

58. Did you vote in the Presidential and Provincial Council Elections of 2014? [Interviewer: please read out options to help the interviewee] Neither first round nor second round [Interviewer: skip to 60] 1 First Round (Presidential and Provincial Council Election) 2 Second Round (Presidential Election Only) 3 Both rounds 4 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 60] 99 59. On the whole, how credible would you say the 2014 Presidential and Provincial Council elec-tion was? [Interviewer: read out options, select only one response] Not credible at all 1 Credible, with major problems 2 Credible, but with minor problems 3 Completely credible 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 60. [Filtered: If did not vote in the Presidential and Provincial Council Election of 2014] Could you please tell me what were the main reasons:

Reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Refused 99 61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? [Interviewer: read options, select all that apply.] Local community 1 Family 2 Friends 3 Media 4 School 5 University 6 Political parties 7 Religious leaders/mullahs 8

Other: ___________________

None of the above 9 Don’t know 98 Refused 99 62. I am going to read some statements, and would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? [Interviewer: read out statements, select only one response]

Items Strongly Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree


A. It is every citizen’s respon-sibility to vote in elections 1 2 3 4 98 99

B. It is important to vote in 1 2 3 4 98 99


national elections C. It is important to vote in

local elections 1 2 3 4 98 99

D. Voting is a waste of time 1 2 3 4 98 99 E. It is important to vote in

parliamentary election 1 2 3 4 98 99

63. There are people who work for parties or candidates during electoral campaigns. Did you work for any candidate or party in the last Presidential and Provincial Council elections of 2014? [Interviewer: Read out options, select only one response] Did not work [Interviewer: skip to 64] 1 Yes, worked 2 Don’t know [Interviewer: skip to 64] 98 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 64] 99 63a. [Filtered: If the answer is “yes, worked” in Q63] Which candidate or party did you work for?

Name of candidate/party_____________________________________

Refused 99

64. If the Parliamentary Election were being held in near future, what would you do? [Read out options, select only one response] Wouldn’t vote 1 Would vote for the current candidate or party [Interviewer: skip to 66] 2 Would vote for a candidate or party different from the current administra-tion [Interviewer: skip to 66] 3

Don’t know [Interviewer: skip to 66] 98 Refused [Interviewer: skip to 66] 99 65. [Filtered: If the answer is “1” in Q64] If you are not likely to vote, will it be because…? Answer: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Refused 99 66. I am going to read some statements about the likelihood of your participation in the Parlia-mentary Election that will take place in the near future. And would like you to tell me the level of your agreement or disagreement with each statement. You would be more likely to vote in the Parliamentary Election, if …. [Interviewer: please read out options, select only one response for each]

Strongly Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree


A. More information about the parties and candi-dates were available

1 2 3 4 98 99

B. Voting facilities were more accessible (more polling stations, extend-ed voting period, and a clearer process)

1 2 3 4 98 99

C. There were a party that generally reflects your 1 2 3 4 98 99


interest and concerns D. The election process

were transparent 1 2 3 4 98 99

DEMOGRAPHICS

A. Gender: [Interviewer: Do not read the question] Male 1 Female 2 B. How old are you? [Interviewer: If respondents doesn’t answer, write the age by appearance]

____ ____ C. Marital Status: [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Single 1 Married 2 Widower/widow 3 Divorced/separated 4 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 D. Were you born in this district? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Refused 99 E. How many people live in your household? [Interviewer: Enter number]

____ ____ Refused 99 F. Are you the head of this household? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 Refused 99 G. For statistical purposes only, we need to know your average monthly household income. Will you please tell me which of the following categories best represents your average total family monthly income? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Less than 2,000 Afs 1 2001 - 3000 Afs 2 3001 - 5000 Afs 3 5001 - 10000 Afs 4 10001 - 15000 Afs 5 15001 - 25000 Afs 6 25001 - 40000 Afs 7 More than 40000 Afs 8 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 H. In general, how do you rate your living conditions compared to those of other Afghans? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response]


Much worse 1 Worse 2 Same 3 Better 4 Much better 5 Don’t Know 98 Refused 99 I. What is the highest level of education you completed?

[Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Never went to school 1 Informal schooling only (including Madrasa) 2 Primary School, incomplete (classes 1 to 5) 3 Primary School, complete (finished class 6) 4 Secondary education, complete (finished class 9) 5 High School (finished class 12) 6 University education or above 7 Refused 99 J1. What is your employment status? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Working full time 1 Working part time 2 Housewife 3 Student 4 Unemployed 5 Other: Refused 99 J2.Filtered: Ask if in J1 is NOT “Housewife” or “Student”]: What is/was your main occupation?

Answer:

Refused 99 K. Which ethnic group do you belong? [Interviewer: Do not read options, Select only one response] Turkmen 1 Kyrgyz 2 Tajik 3 Nuristani 4 Hazara 5 Baloch 6 Uzbek 7 Pashtun 8 Other (Specify): Refused 99 L. Could you please tell me how important religion is in your life? [Interviewer: Read out options, Select only one response] Not at all important 1 Somewhat unimportant 2 Somewhat important 3 Very important 4 Don’t know 98 Refused 99


M. Finish time of Interview: [Interviewer: Use 24 hour system]

__ __ : __ __ N. Length of Interview: [Interviewer: Write in minutes]

_______ O. Interviewer: Including yourself, how many people were present at the interview?

_______

P. Interviewer: Which of the following statements do you think best describes the level of com-prehension of the survey questionnaire by the respondent? [Interviewer: Select only one response] The respondent had difficulty understanding most of the questions, even with help from me 1

The respondent understood most of the questions but with some help 2 The respondent understood most of the questions 3 The respondent understood all of the questions 4 Q. Interviewer: Which of the following statements best describes the level of comfort or unease that the respondent had with the survey questionnaire? [Interviewer: Select only one response] The respondent was generally uncomfortable with the survey question-naire 1

The respondent was comfortable with only some of the questions 2 The respondent was comfortable with most of the questions 3 The respondent was comfortable (at ease) with the entire questionnaire 4

R. Interviewer: Based on your observation, has anyone influenced the respondent’s answers? [Interviewer: Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2

S. Interviewer: Please describe the security situation of the sampling point based on your obser-vation in the field? [Interviewer: Select only one response] Very insecure 1 Insecure 2 Secure 3 Very secure 4

T1. Interview completed on the: [Interviewer: Select only one response] First contact 1 Second contact 2 Third contact 3

SUPERVISOR USE ONLY

T2. Is this sampling point the original selected one or a replacement/substitute: [Supervisor: Select only one response] Original 1 Replacement/Substitute 2


T3. Was the interview subject to quality control? [Supervisor: Select only one response] No 1 Yes 2 T4. If yes, the method(s) of control: [Supervisor: Can be selected more than one response] Direct supervision during interview 1 Back-check in person by supervisor 2 Back-check from the central office 3 Not applicable 4 Name of Supervisor Date of checking Signature

Name of QC Date of checking Signature

A SURVEY OF AFGHAN YOUTH C-1

APPENDIX C: DATA TABLES

1. How would you describe your overall economic situation?


Very bad 7.1 20.6

Fairly bad 13.2 23.4

Fairly good 67.7 49.9

Very good 11.9 5.9

Don't Know 0.1 0.1

Total 100 100

2. How would you describe Afghanistan's economic situation as a whole?


Very bad 59.2 53.2

Fairly bad 22.3 22.9

Fairly good 15.9 18.2

Very good 2.1 3.5

Don't Know 0.3 2.1

Refused 0.1 0.1

Total 100 100

3. What would you say is the biggest problem facing Afghan youth today?


Unemployment and Poverty 71.8 82.2

Access to education/low quality education 12.3 6.7

Insecurity and Violence 9.8 4.9

Weak governance/no policy for youth 3.3 1.1

No freedom 0.2 0.0

Other 1.5 n/a

Don't Know 1.1 4.8

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

4. What is your definition of "Democracy"?


Good governance and representation 25.6 8.3

Freedom 63.4 50.8

Human right 2.3 3.1

Immorality related to women's freedom 0.3 2.1

Misuse of power/no access to social service 0.9 2.1

Secularism 1.2 n/a

Security and Social Services n/a 1.3

Don't Know 5.2 30.6

Refused 1.1 1.8

Total 100 100


4a. In general, how satisfied are you with the way democracy works in Afghanistan?


Very dissatisfied 37.9 26.3

Somewhat dissatisfied 14.2 16.5

Somewhat satisfied 35.7 29.0

Very satisfied 10.1 9.2

Don't Know 1.6 17.2

Refused 0.5 1.8

Total 100 100

5. In general, how satisfied are you with the way elections work in Afghanistan?






Don't Know 0.4 1.1

Refused 0.3 0.4

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? A. Mosque


Daily 31.7 31.0

Once a week 10.7 8.8

Once or twice a month 5.8 5.0

Once or twice a year 6.5 5.5

Never 44.6 48.8

Don't Know 0.5 0.7

Refused 0.2 0.2

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? B. CDC or DDA+


Daily 0.7 0.7

Once a week 1.8 3.3



Never 73.7 70.2

Don't Know 0.7 1.5

Refused 0.3 0.3

Total 100 100


6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? C. Political party


Daily 1.2 1.2

Once a week 2.1 0.7



Never 85.9 90.4

Don't Know 0.7 2.3

Refused 0.6 0.6

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? D. A youth organization affiliated with a political party


Daily 1.2 1.0

Once a week 2.7 0.8



Never 78.4 88.5

Don't Know 0.6 2.0

Refused 0.7 0.5

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? E. A human rights organization


Daily 1.5 0.9

Once a week 1.5 0.8



Never 78.7 86.1

Don't Know 0.4 2.1

Refused 0.3 0.6

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? F. A group conducting [voluntary] activities to help the community


Daily 1.9 1.1

Once a week 4.2 1.7



Never 66.2 76.4

Don't Know 0.7 2.0

Refused 0.1 0.7

Total 100 100


6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? G. A cultural association based on ethnicity


Daily 1.0 1.0

Once a week 2.3 1.3



Never 77.1 83.7

Don't Know 0.4 1.8

Refused 0.6 0.5

Total 100 100

6. How often do you attend meetings organized by these entities? H. [Women only] Meetings of wom-en associations or home


Daily 0.9 1.2

Once a week 1.6 0.4



Never 29.0 37.4

Not Applicable 50.2 50.0

Don't Know 0.4 0.6

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 1. TV


Not Selected 24.5 29.7

Selected 75.5 70.3

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 2. Radio



Selected 49.3 56.3

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 3. Newspaper



Selected 31.3 6.8

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 4. Internet/Social network




Selected 66.2 14.9

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 5. Mullah Imam/Masjid



Selected 10.0 16.4

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 6. Community leader/shura



Selected 5.1 6.8

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 7. University/school



Selected 44.4 8.9

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? 8. Telephone



Selected 23.1 14.0

Total 100 100

7. From which sources do you currently receive information? Other



My studies 1.8 0.2

Friends 0.4 0.2

Family 0.1 0.4

CSO's gatherings 0.1 1.8

Total 100 100

8. Do you have access to the internet?


No 24.7 81.0

Yes 75.2 18.6


Refused 0.1 0.4

Total 100 100

9. Have you read or shared information through any social networks such as Facebook or Twitter?


No, have not 17.7 18.5

Yes, I have 82.1 81.4

Don't Know 0.1 0.1

Total 100 100

10. How often do you use the internet?


Never 0.4 0.3

Rarely 7.9 7.3

A few times a month 11.3 15.3

A few times a week 30.8 26.8

Daily 49.5 50.2

Refused 0.1 0.1

Total 100 100

11. If the Parliamentary Elections were held in near future and you could attend two events, which two would you choose? Choice 1

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Live drama or comedy about elections 32.8 26.8 A meeting about elections in someone's home 18.4 30.2 A party rally or meeting 8.1 3.7 A short film or movie 9.0 7.4 [Women only] Special gathering for women 8.8 6.4 Workshop by an international NGO 10.7 3.9 A candidate debate/rally 8.1 3.7 A special meeting about elections at your mosque 0.5 0.9 I would not attend any of these events 3.3 13.3 Don't Know 0.1 2.4 Refused 0.2 1.1 Total 100 100

11. If the Parliamentary Elections were held in near future and you could attend two events, which two would you choose? Choice 2

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % A meeting about elections in someone's home 5.5 9.8

A party rally or meeting 3.4 4.3

A short film or movie 13.3 10.5

[Women only] Special gathering for women 7.8 20.9

Workshop by an international NGO 11.3 6.1

A candidate debate/rally 42.3 17.2


A special meeting about elections at your mosque 15.9 26.3

Don't Know 0.1 3.1

Refused 0.3 1.4

Total 100 100

12. Please tell me your level of agreement with the following statements? A. Teaching civic education makes a difference


Strongly disagree 2.9 1.4

Somewhat disagree 1.4 1.4

Somewhat agree 17.2 22.7

Strongly agree 77.8 64.2

Don’t Know 0.7 9.9

Total 100 100

12. Please tell me your level of agreement with the following statements? B. Schools are irrelevant for the development







Total 100 100

12. Please tell me your level of agreement with the following statements? C. Education authorities pay little attention







Total 100 100

12a. Do you want civic education to be taught in schools?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % No 3.5 4.2 Yes 95.7 89.0 Don't Know 0.7 6.3 Refused 0.1 0.6 Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? A. People in your com-munity



No confidence 19.0 11.6

Some confidence 51.4 36.8

A lot of confidence 29.5 50.9

Don't Know 0.1 0.6

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? B. The president





Don't Know 0.1 0.7

Refused 0.3 0.1

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? C. The CEO





Don't Know 0.5 1.0

Refused 0.2 0.2

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? D. The courts





Don't Know 0.3 4.0

Refused 0.2 0.2

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? E. The NUG





Don't Know 0.4 2.4

Refused 0.2 0.3

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? F. Political parties






Don't Know 0.5 9.2

Refused 0.5 1.0

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? G. Parliament (lower and upper house)





Don't Know 0.4 3.9

Refused 0.2 0.5

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? H. The ANA





Don't Know n/a 0.8

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? I. The ANP





Don't Know 0.2 0.9

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? J. Local government (provincial/district level)





Don't Know 1.4 2.3

Refused 0.1 0.2

Total 100 100


13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? K. CDCs





Don't Know 3.6 3.5

Refused 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? L. Media





Don't Know 0.2 4.5

Refused n/a 0.5

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? M. Religious leaders





Don't Know 0.4 3.5

Refused 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? N. IEC





Don't Know 0.8 3.8

Refused 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

13. Please tell me how much confidence do you have in each of these entities? O. IECC





Don't Know 0.7 5.6

Refused 0.2 0.9


Total 100 100

14. If you were a victim of a criminal case how much confidence do you have that the judicial system would punish the guilty and protect your rights?





Don't Know 1.3 3.4

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? A. MPs


No 81.0 91.3

Yes 18.4 7.6

Don't Know 0.5 0.8

Refused 0.1 0.2

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? B. Provincial council members


No 75.5 86.5

Yes 23.8 12.6

Don't Know 0.7 0.6

Refused n/a 0.2

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? C. Local government (district governor, mayor, provincial official/ or gover-nor)


No 75.6 77.5

Yes 24.1 21.7

Don't Know 0.3 0.5

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? D. Maliks/khans/wakili guzar


No 62.1 60.6

Yes 37.6 38.7

Don't Know 0.3 0.4


Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? E. CDC, DDA+


No 75.9 75.4

Yes 23.2 23.3

Don't Know 0.9 1.0

Refused n/a 0.4

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? F. Ministries


No 93.7 95.9

Yes 5.7 2.6

Don't Know 0.5 0.9

Refused 0.1 0.6

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? G. Political parties


No 91.7 94.9

Yes 7.9 3.3

Don't Know 0.3 1.1

Refused 0.1 0.7

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? H. ANA/ANP


No 68.4 79.2

Yes 31.4 19.9

Don't Know 0.2 0.6

Refused n/a 0.4

Total 100 100

15. During the past five years, have you ever requested help or cooperation from [the entities] in order to solve your problems? I. Religious leaders/tribal leaders


No 71.0 74.6

Yes 28.5 24.3

Don't Know 0.3 0.7


Refused 0.2 0.4

Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? A. An identity document

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Very difficult 33.4 28.7 Somewhat difficult 21.3 20.6 Somewhat easy 22.2 23.1 Very easy 20.2 18.5 Never tried 2.6 8.2 Don't Know 0.2 0.9 Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? B. An adminis-trative work done at government offices


Very difficult 54.0 43.3

Somewhat difficult 24.0 22.2

Somewhat easy 12.2 12.2

Very easy 4.9 4.3

Never tried 4.7 16.7

Don't Know 0.1 1.1

Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? C. Medical treatment at a nearby public centers





Very easy 26.8 24.2

Never tried 2.1 2.8

Don't Know 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? D. Access to public education





Very easy 49.4 42.9

Never tried 1.7 4.2

Don't Know n/a 0.2

Total 100 100


16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? E. Access to public transportation





Very easy 28.2 21.4

Never tried 5.0 7.7

Don't Know 0.4 0.6

Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? F. Access to water/electricity





Very easy 14.2 14.2

Never tried 6.0 8.3

Don't Know 0.1 0.4

Total 100 100

16. Based on your experience, how easy or difficult is it to obtain the following services? G. Help from the police





Very easy 26.5 21.6

Never tried 12.5 17.2

Don't Know 0.6 1.3

Refused 0.1 0.4

Total 100 100

17. Of the following, which organization/institution do youth in Afghanistan relate to the most?


The Government of Afghanistan 72.8 79.9 The Taliban 3.1 3.3 Religious institutions 9.3 4.6 International partner countries, like the U.S. and the U.K.

7.7 4.5

Don't Know 4.9 6.1 Refused 2.1 1.6

Total 100 100


18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? A. Women should run for public offices and take part in the government just as men do






Don't Know 0.3 0.9

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? B. Men and women should have the same legal rights and decision-making powers, both within and outside the home






Don't Know 0.2 1.7

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? C. Men are more suited for poli-tics than women






Don't Know 0.6 3.9

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? D. A university education is im-portant for women






Don't Know n/a 0.6

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? E. A university education is more important for a male than for a female







Don't Know n/a 0.8

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? F. The Afghan government should provide more protection for women against physical, sexual, emotional and/or verbal abuse from male family member






Don't Know n/a 2.4

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? G. If a husband believes his wife is disobeying or bringing shame to him or family, it is acceptable for him to physically discipline her






Don't Know 0.4 2.0

Refused 0.2 0.3

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? H. If a husband believes his wife is disobeying or bringing shame to him or family, it is acceptable for him to divorce






Don't Know 0.8 2.3

Refused n/a 0.4

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? I. Women can have control on income they earn and can spend without taking permission from husband/male






Don't Know 0.3 1.7


Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? J. Women can do business and sell the produce in the market just as men do






Don't Know 0.3 1.2

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? K. Women have the right to in-herit land and property






Don't Know n/a 0.5

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? L. Women have the right to own land and property






Don't Know n/a 0.9

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: A. Obey the laws


Not important 0.3 0.4

Somewhat unimportant 0.2 0.3

Somewhat important 3.9 8.5

Very important 95.6 89.8

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: B. Vote in every election







Don't Know 0.2 0.9

Refused 0.1 0.1

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: C. Join a political party and engage in political discussions






Don't Know 0.2 9.0

Refused 0.1 0.6

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: D. Participate in a peaceful protest against a law believed to be un-just






Don't Know 0.1 4.7

Refused 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: E. Follow political issues in media






Don't Know n/a 5.3

Refused n/a 0.6

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: F. Participate in activities to benefit people in the community







Don't Know n/a 2.3

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: G. Take part in activities promoting human rights






Don't Know 0.1 4.4

Refused n/a 0.5

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: H. Be patriotic and loyal to the country






Don't Know n/a 0.5

Total 100 100

19. A model youth citizen should: I. Be willing to ignore a law that violated human rights






Don't Know 1.6 7.8

Refused 0.3 0.8

Total 100 100

20. What is a more important priority for you?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Getting married and raising a family 3.0 13.6 Pursuing more education and focusing on your professional career

59.7 45.9

Both 36.7 29.7 To help my community 0.3 0.1 To become self-sufficient 0.1 n/a To help my family 0.1 n/a Don't Know 0.1 2.3

Total 100 100


21. How likely would you be to support reconciliation with the Taliban or other insurgent groups in Afghanistan?


Very unlikely 27.8 22.8

Unlikely 6.2 8.5

Likely 21.3 23.7

Very likely 43.4 41.7

Don't Know 1.1 2.6

Refused 0.2 0.6

Total 100 100

22. Do you support the continued presence of international forces in Afghanistan?


Not supportive at all 43.3 42.8

Somewhat unsupportive 7.0 10.8

Somewhat supportive 24.4 22.0

Very supportive 24.0 18.8

Don't Know 0.8 4.4

Refused 0.5 1.2

Total 100 100

23. Do you want to see Afghanistan become more like Saudi Arabia, Turkey or the United States?


Saudi Arabia 38.3 64.5

United States 14.7 6.6

Turkey 37.5 23.3

Don't Know 3.0 3.0

Refused 6.5 2.6

Total 100 100

24. Do you have any intention of going to live or work in another country in the future?


No 52.0 59.6

Yes 46.7 38.6

Don't Know 1.3 1.6

Total 100 100

25. Please tell me how comfortable would you be if? A. Your brother/sister were to marry someone of a different ethnicity


Not comfortable at all 17.7 26.9

Somewhat uncomfortable 3.8 11.6

Somewhat comfortable 19.0 23.2


Very comfortable 58.9 37.3

Don't Know 0.4 0.7

Refused 0.2 0.3

Total 100 100 25. Please tell me how comfortable would you be if? B. Your brother/sister were to marry someone of a different religion






Don't Know 0.1 0.6

Refused 1.2 0.5

Total 100 100

25. Please tell me how comfortable would you be if? C. Your neighbors were of a different ethnicity






Don't Know 0.3 0.6

Refused 0.2 0.3

Total 100 100

25. Please tell me how comfortable would you be if? D. Your neighbors were of a different religion






Don't Know 0.2 0.6

Refused 0.8 0.6

Total 100 100

26. At present, are you a beneficiary of any youth employment programs (vocational trainings) run by the private sector, civil society or other institutions?


No 74.4 92.0

Yes 25.2 7.5

Refused 0.4 0.5

Total 100 100

27. Is the institution…?



Governmental 36.0 28.3

Private 45.9 36.4

Non-profit NGO 12.0 26.8

Self-help group 5.4 4.2

Refused 0.8 n/a

Total 100 100

28. In your opinion, what is the reason for a high percentage of unemployed college graduates?


Weak governance 52.7 41.8

Security problem 8.2 11.3

Corruption 19.8 13.5

There is no job opportunity 14.4 15.9

Discrimination 0.2 0.2

Illiteracy 0.4 0.3

No job experience 1.1 1.0

Don't Know 2.9 14.1

Refused 0.2 0.9

Total 100 100

29. Other than public educational institutions, is there any organization or program in your community providing literacy courses for out of school youths?


No 52.8 80.1

Yes 44.9 16.1

Don't Know 2.3 3.6

Total 100 100

30. Other than public educational institutions, is there any organization or program in your community providing vocational skills for out of school youths?


No 58.4 85.1

Yes 38.0 10.3

Don't Know 3.6 4.4

Total 100 100

31. How supportive are you of the current National Unity Government (NUG) of Afghanistan?


Not supportive at all 30.4 21.6

Somewhat unsupportive 7.1 13.0

Somewhat supportive 45.8 41.9

Very supportive 16.1 21.8

Don't Know 0.3 1.0

Refused 0.3 0.6

Total 100 100


32. How satisfied are you with the performance of President Ghani during the last five months?






Total 100 100

33. How satisfied are you with the performance of CEO Abdullah during the last five months?






Don't Know 0.2 0.6

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. A. The NUG government is accountable in regards to what they promised






Don't Know 0.1 0.7

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. B. The media should have more freedom to publish news and ideas without government oversight






Don't Know 0.3 0.7

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. C. The government should have the right to prevent the media from publishing things that might be politically destabilizing







Don't Know 0.1 8.0

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. D. Most citizens in Afghanistan don't make much effort to influence government decisions






Don't Know 1.1 8.0

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. E. When leaders break the laws, there is nothing the government can do






Don't Know 0.5 2.4

Refused 0.1 0.4

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. F. All ethnic communities in Afghanistan are treated equally by the government






Don't Know 0.5 2.3

Refused n/a 0.2

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. G. The government/MoJ should consult religious leaders/Ulema when interpreting the Sharia law






Don't Know 0.4 5.0

Refused n/a 0.3

Total 100 100


34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. H. The parliament is capable of keeping the government accountable






Don't Know 1.2 7.9

Refused 0.2 0.6

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. I. In Af-ghanistan the power is in the hands of a few leaders






Don't Know 1.1 6.1

Refused n/a 0.5

Total 100 100

34. Would like you to tell me your personal level of agreement with each of these statements. J. In Af-ghanistan the power is given along ethnic lines






Don't Know 0.5 2.9

Refused 0.1 0.4

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. A. Employment for citizens


Definitely not 0.7 0.6

Probably not 0.7 0.8

Probably should be 10.6 10.4

Definitely should be 88.0 87.9

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. B. To keep prices under control







Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. C. To provide basic health services






Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. D. To reduce differences in income and wealth among people






Don't Know 0.5 2.3

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. E. To provide education facilities






Don't Know n/a 0.7

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. F. To ensure equal political opportunities for men and women






Don't Know 0.2 2.8

Total 100 100


35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. G. To guarantee peace and stability within the country






Don't Know n/a 0.5

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. H. To promote national unity among people in the country






Don't Know 0.1 2.2

Total 100 100

35. Would like you to tell me whether you believe each one should be the government's responsibility. I. Provide services such as highways, road surface or pavement, clean drinking water, sewage, electrici-ty and etc.






Don't Know n/a 0.4

Total 100 100

36. Do you know how the members of parliament are elected?


Election (people vote) 86.6 70.7

By the government 0.2 1.2

Through favoritism 1.0 1.6

Through bribery 4.3 2.1

Through political agreement 0.1 n/a

Through familiarity with government leaders 0.9 n/a

Through the provincial council 0.1 n/a

Through fraud 0.3 n/a

Don't Know 5.7 23.3

Refused 0.8 0.9

Total 100 100


37. Do you feel well informed about the activities of your current provincial representative in parlia-ment?


No, I am not well informed 47.6 65.4

I am somewhat informed 34.6 21.5

Yes, I am well informed 17.1 8.5

Don't Know 0.6 4.2

Total 100 100

38. Where should the government invest the most money? First place


Education 25.9 24.6 Infrastructure (highways, water, sewage, electric-ity) 5.4 10.5

Housing 0.7 2.7

Retirement 0.2 0.4

Assistance to the poor 2.5 6.4

Health 1.0 3.6

Security 64.3 50.9

Total 100 100

38. Where should the government invest the most money? Second place


Education 52.5 34.3 Infrastructure (highways, water, sewage, electric-ity)

12.6 13.7

Housing 2.6 4.3

Retirement 1.2 1.2

Assistance to the poor 5.2 14.9

Health 7.3 8.7

Security 18.3 21.0

Employment 0.2 0.7

Total 100 100

39. Would you be willing to pay more taxes so that the government can spend more money on public services?


No 35.7 46.3

Yes 62.1 48.4

Don't Know 2.0 4.6

Refused 0.2 0.7

Total 100 100

40. In your opinion is it possible for ordinary people to live a life in Afghanistan without committing corruption or paying a bribe?



No 47.9 57.3

Yes 50.3 37.0

Don't Know 1.7 5.2

Refused 0.1 0.5

Total 100 100

41. Would you say that you [Interviewer: read out options] that the NUG combats government cor-ruption?






Don't Know 1.4 6.9

Total 100 100

42. What actions or policies do you think can be taken by the government to eliminate corruption and/or bribery? 1)


Strict punishment for corruption 73.2 75.9

More transparency 11.5 7.4

Replace those in power with the ones that will fight corruption

7.8 7.9

Changes in legislation 1.7 1.3

Change people's attitudes toward corruption 1.2 1.1

Ban corrupted officials from public office 1.2 1.1

Better salaries for public officials 0.4 0.5

Don't Know 2.4 3.8

Refused 0.6 0.7

Total 100 100



More transparency 17.7 16.2 Replace those in power with the ones that will fight corruption

38.6 33.5





Enforcement of reward and punishment system 0.1 n/a

Don't Know 2.6 4.1

Refused 0.7 0.7

Total 100 100



STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Replace those in power with the ones that will fight corruption

5.9 3.0





Don't Know 2.9 5.0

Refused 0.8 0.8

Total 100 100

43. How interested are you in politics at the national level?


Not interested at all 21.4 47.1

Somewhat uninterested 4.7 8.7

Somewhat interested 31.6 24.4

Very interested 42.0 16.8

Don't Know 0.1 2.1

Refused 0.1 0.9

Total 100 100

44. How interested are you in politics at the local level?


Not interested at all 24.4 46.2

Somewhat uninterested 6.0 8.7

Somewhat interested 29.3 25.2

Very interested 40.1 16.7

Don't Know n/a 2.2

Refused 0.2 0.8

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? A. With people of your own age


Never 14.0 33.7

Rarely 12.2 16.3

Sometimes 30.8 28.0

Often 41.7 17.7

I don't meet with these people 1.2 3.6

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? B. With parents or other adult family members



Never 23.9 40.9

Rarely 17.0 17.9

Sometimes 34.2 26.4

Often 23.6 10.8


Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? C. With community leaders/members (CDC/DDA members)


Never 56.7 58.2

Rarely 10.1 8.0

Sometimes 12.8 9.4

Often 7.7 3.6


Refused 0.2 0.8

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? D. Government officials


Never 59.1 62.7

Rarely 8.7 3.2

Sometimes 11.2 3.6

Often 6.5 1.6


Refused 0.2 0.8

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? E. Political parties


Never 65.7 62.2

Rarely 5.4 2.0

Sometimes 6.8 2.1

Often 4.3 1.1


Refused 0.2 0.9

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? F. MPs



Never 65.5 60.3

Rarely 4.2 2.3

Sometimes 5.1 1.7

Often 3.1 0.8


Refused 0.3 1.1

Total 100 100

45. When you get together with the following people, how often do you discuss political matters? G. Mullah/Religious leaders


Never 57.8 57.5

Rarely 8.6 6.7

Sometimes 13.4 9.4

Often 8.0 4.4


Total 100 100

46. In the last 5 years, have you participated in a demonstration or protest march?


No 76.8 92.5

Yes 22.8 7.0

Refused 0.4 0.3

Total 100 100

47. How many times have you participated in a demonstration or protest march in the past 5 years?


1-3 86.0 87.6

4-10 11.7 9.4

11-15 2.3 2.2

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? A. Participating in public demonstra-tions


Not at all effective 12.7 15.8

Somewhat ineffective 11.3 12.7

Somewhat effective 42.6 40.9

Very effective 31.9 24.3

Don't Know 1.1 5.8

Refused 0.3 0.5

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? B. Working to get attention by the me-dia







Don't Know 0.8 6.5

Refused 0.3 0.6

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? C. Personally contacting influential people like MPs, tribal leaders






Don't Know 1.6 7.0

Refused 0.3 0.9

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? D. Voting in elections






Don't Know 0.5 2.2

Refused 0.2 0.3

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? E. Personally contacting Mul-lah/religious leaders






Don't Know 1.3 5.7

Refused 0.3 0.7

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? F. Participating in illegal [violent] pro-test, marches







Don't Know 1.2 6.3

Refused 0.6 1.8

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? G. Through working with political par-ties






Don't Know 2.9 11.9

Refused 0.6 1.9

Total 100 100

48. Please rate the effectiveness of the following engagements? H. Through working with local action groups (CDCs, DDA+?)






Don't Know 1.7 6.1

Refused 0.5 0.8

Total 100 100

49. Please tell me your feelings about the following statements. A. Youth have the right to participate in politics.






Don't Know n/a 2.5

Total 100 100

49. Please tell me your feelings about the following statements. B. Youth participation in politics and elections should be encouraged







Don't Know 0.1 3.5

Total 100 100

49. Please tell me your feelings about the following statements. C. Youth participation in civic activities should be encouraged






Don't Know n/a 4.1

Total 100 100

50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? A. working on campaigns for a political party or candidate



Unlikely 11.2 15.4

Likely 38.2 28.6


Don't Know 0.2 2.0

Refused 0.3 0.6

Total 100 100

50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? B. voting in elections



Unlikely 2.7 3.2

Likely 19.5 26.0


Don't Know 0.2 1.1

Refused n/a 0.4

Total 100 100

50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? C. participating in politics and election as a candidate



Unlikely 11.7 15.7

Likely 32.6 19.9


Don't Know 0.5 3.2

Refused n/a 0.7

Total 100 100


50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? D. blocking of roads to protest to grab attention of the government



Unlikely 15.9 17.3

Likely 25.2 20.5


Don't Know 0.9 3.1

Refused n/a 0.7

Total 100 100

50. How likely are you to engage in the following civic activities? E. peaceful demonstrations in order to express views



Unlikely 7.4 11.2

Likely 34.1 30.5


Don't Know 0.6 2.7

Refused n/a 0.9

Total 100 100

51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 1. Civil society groups

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Not Selected 60.8 84.6 Selected 39.2 15.4 Total 100 100

51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 2. Election administration officials

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Not Selected 69.8 84.9 Selected 30.2 15.1 Total 100 100

51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their polit-ical/ electoral activities. 3. Candidates for political offices


Not Selected 82.8 91.1 Selected 17.2 8.9 Total 100.0 100.0


51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 4. Government

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Not Selected 80.4 92.1 Selected 19.6 7.9 Total 100.0 100.0

51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 5. Political parties


Not Selected 88.6 96.0 Selected 11.4 4.0 Total 100.0 100.0

51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 6. Parliamentarians


51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 7. Provincial council members


51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. 8. Mullahs


51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. Other


51. Any of the following organizations have ever included (invited you to participate) you in their politi-cal/electoral activities. DK/Refused



Not Selected 80.2 78.0 Don't Know 2.1 9.7 Refused 17.7 12.3 Total 100.0 100.0

52. Are you a member of a political party, movement, or coalition?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % No 92.3 93.8 Yes 6.3 4.2

Don't Know 0.3 0.8 Refused 1.1 1.2 Total 100.0 100.0

53. Which political party/coalition are you a member of?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Truth and Justice Party (Hezb Haq wa Adalat) 7.1 0.7 National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Paiwand Meli Afghanistan) 12.5 n/a

"Islamic Movement Party of unit Afghanistan (Hezb Tahrik Islami Afghanistan Wahed)" 3.6 n/a

Jamiat-e Islami Party 23.2 26.0 Islamic Unity Party (Hezb-e Wahdate Milli Af-ghanistan) 3.6 13.5

"National Cohesion Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Insejam Meli Afghanistan)" 1.8 n/a

National Coalition of Afghanistan (Etelaf Milli Af-ghanistan) 1.8 2.7

"Justice and Development Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Adalat wa Tawse-a Afghanistan)" 1.8 n/a

"People Unification Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Tawhid Mardom Afghanistan)" 3.6 n/a

National Islamic Movement Party (Hezb-e Jundbesh Milli) 17.9 32.7

"National Cohesion Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Insejam Meli Afghanistan)" 1.8 n/a

Muslim Brotherhood (Ekhwanul Muslemeen) 1.8 n/a

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah 1.8 n/a Islamic Party (Hezb-e Islami) 8.9 11.3 "Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Ham-bastagi Afghanistan)" 1.8 n/a

Afghan Melat Party 1.8 2.7 Refused 5.4 5.2 Total 100.0 100.0

54. Do you want to be more involved in local or national politics than you are now?


No 53.6 79.1 Yes 44.7 17.8 Don't Know 1.6 2.3 Refused 0.1 0.8 Total 100.0 100.0


55. What is preventing you from getting more involved?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Poverty 11.8 22.8 I want to continue my education 16.4 5.0 Friends and family 6.0 4.4 I have no trust in politicians 9.4 3.9 Corruption 10.1 3.5 I do not have enough time 5.8 1.3 Illiteracy 1.0 6.6 Cultural barriers 4.8 14.4 Security 30.8 27.4 Nothing prevent me 2.2 n/a Refused 1.7 2.0

Total 100.0 100.0

56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? A. Politicians are most-ly ethnic oriented and work for the interest of their own ethnicity

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 4.7 2.9 Somewhat disagree 3.4 4.1 Somewhat agree 20.0 22.8 Strongly agree 71.6 67.5 Don't Know 0.3 2.5 Total 100.0 100.0

56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? B. Politicians care about young people like myself

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 30.7 30.3 Somewhat disagree 15.2 19.3 Somewhat agree 29.6 22.3

Strongly agree 24.2 24.8 Don't Know 0.3 2.8 Total 100.0 100.0

56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? C. Once elected, politi-cians lose touch with the young people pretty quickly

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 3.5 3.2 Somewhat disagree 4.0 4.8 Somewhat agree 22.8 23.1 Strongly agree 69.3 65.5 Don't Know 0.4 3.1 Total 100.0 100.0

56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? D. Politicians are only interested in people's vote, not in their opinion



Strongly agree 74.9 69.6 Don't Know 0.1 2.6 Total 100.0 100.0

56. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? E. Politicians are eligi-ble in terms of knowledge and leadership skills in politics

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 25.4 14.6 Somewhat disagree 14.6 19.1 Somewhat agree 34.2 33.7 Strongly agree 24.4 22.4 Don't Know 1.1 9.6 Refused 0.3 0.7 Total 100.0 100.0

57. How can the youth have their voice heard?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Through peaceful demonstration 39.1 29.6 Through media 37.8 6.9 They should have higher education 3.9 21.7 A ministry for youth should be established 0.2 0.1 Talk with the government 4.2 3.5 They should establish civic youth organizations 9.5 12.4 Don't Know 4.9 17.8 Refused 0.5 1.8

Total 100.0 100.0

58. Did you vote in the Presidential and Provincial Council Elections of 2014?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Neither first round nor second round 13.4 22.1 First Round (Presidential and Provincial Council Election) 18.4 15.8

Second Round (Presidential Election Only) 6.2 8.3 Both rounds 61.5 53.0 Refused 0.4 0.6

Total 100.0 100.0

59. On the whole, how credible would you say the 2014 Presidential and Provincial Council election was?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Not credible at all 44.5 33.6 Credible, with major problems 26.4 26.4 Credible, but with minor problems 22.1 23.0 Completely credible 6.4 15.4



60. Could you please tell me what were the main reasons:

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % The voting process was not transparent 17.6 3.3 Did not have a registration card 24.4 24.7 Male members of my family did not permit 5.9 21.0

I was underage 12.6 10.6 Candidates were not eligible 10.9 7.9 I was out of the country 5.9 6.4 I did not have time 0.8 1.8 My vote does not make difference 0.8 1.2 The IEC was not transparent 5.9 2.6 I was sick 0.8 1.5 Because of security problem 10.1 8.8 I did not want to vote 1.7 2.8 Election is prohibited in Islam (Haram) 0.8 n/a Refused 1.7 5.1 Total 100.0 100.0

61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 1. Local community


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 2. Family


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 3. Friends

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Not Selected 53.8 59.5 Selected 46.2 40.5

Total 100.0 100.0

61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 4. Media



61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 5. School


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 6. University


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 7. Political parties


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 8. Religious lead-ers/mullahs


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? Other


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? 9. None of the above


61. Which of the following has the greatest influence on your voting behavior? DK/Refused


Not Selected 99.1 97.3 Selected 0.3 1.5 Refused 0.6 1.1 Total 100.0 100.0


62. Would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following state-ments? A. It is every citizen's responsibility to vote in elections

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 0.6 0.6 Somewhat disagree 0.3 0.8 Somewhat agree 4.8 12.5 Strongly agree 94.3 85.1

Total 100.0 100.0

62. Would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following state-ments? B. It is important to vote in national elections

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 0.6 0.8 Somewhat disagree 0.3 1.7 Somewhat agree 7.3 13.7 Strongly agree 91.8 81.9 Total 100.0 100.0

62. Would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following state-ments? C. It is important to vote in local elections


Total 100.0 100.0

62. Would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following state-ments? D. Voting is a waste of time

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 75.0 63.2 Somewhat disagree 11.4 17.4 Somewhat agree 5.0 7.9 Strongly agree 8.5 9.1 Total 100.0 100.0

62. Would like you to tell me how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following state-ments? E. It is important to vote in parliamentary election


Total 100.0 100.0

63. Did you work for any candidate or party in the last Presidential and Provincial Council elections of 2014?


STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Did not work 83.4 90.2 Yes, worked 15.6 8.6 Don't Know 0.5 0.6

Refused 0.5 0.6 Total 100.0 100.0

63a. Which candidate or party did you work for?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Abdulrab Rasool Sayaf 17.0 0.6 Mr. Habiburahman 0.7 n/a Mr. Zalmai Rasool 2.1 2.3 Dr. Abdullah Abdullah 11.3 29.0 Dr. Ashraf Ghani 34.0 23.3

Mr. Baktash Syavash 0.7 n/a Mr. Sayed Mortaza Sadat 0.7 n/a Mr. Hassan Rezai 0.7 n/a National Unity Party of Afghanistan (Hezb Wahdat Meli Afghanistan) 1.4 n/a

Mr. Haji Ahmad 0.7 n/a Islamic Movement Party of Afghanistan( Hezb Hararkat Islami Afghanistan) 1.4 1.4

Mr. Yunus 0.7 n/a Mr. Mowlawi Abdul Hakeem 0.7 n/a Mr. Qais Wakili 0.7 n/a Sayed Zekria Hashemi 0.7 n/a Ms. Marzia Haidari 0.7 n/a

Mr. Qazi Aman 0.7 n/a Sayed Amanullah Amin 2.1 n/a Mr. Agha Fakoor Beheshti 0.7 n/a Mr. Khalilullah Azizi 0.7 n/a Mr. Mujahid Zada Balkhabi 0.7 n/a Mr. Nazar Sefat 0.7 n/a Mr. Mawlawi Mohmmad Hashem Faizi 0.7 n/a Jamiat-E Islami Party 0.7 1.1 Mr. Watan Dost 0.7 n/a Ms. Hanifa Amin 1.4 n/a Mr. Hafizullah 0.7 n/a Mr. Mohammad Yasin Ehsan 0.7 n/a

Mr. Abdulbasir Haderi 0.7 n/a Mr. Baryalai Nazari 0.7 n/a Mr. Abdulqadir Hakimi 1.4 n/a Mr. Helal 0.7 0.3 Mr. Kamal Nasir Osoli 0.7 n/a Mr. Ramin Ramazan 0.7 n/a Mr. Abdulqadir Khan 1.4 n/a Mr. Haji Netamtullah Popal 1.4 n/a Mr. Agha Bacha Shaida 1.4 n/a Refused 5.7 18.3 Total 100.0 100.0


64. If the Parliamentary Election were being held in near future, what would you do?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Wouldn't vote 15.9 15.0 Would vote for the current candidate or party 24.4 25.4 Would vote for a candidate or party different from the current administration 49.9 44.0


65. If you are not likely to vote, will it be because…?

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Corruption at IEC 56.8 28.7 There will be no eligible candidate 17.6 2.6 My vote will not make a difference 17.6 11.3 I will be out of country 2.0 0.4 I don't trust the MPs 2.0 12.7 I don't trust the government 2.7 2.9 Refused 1.4 3.8 Total 100.0 100.0

66. You would be more likely to vote in the Parliamentary Election, if…: A. More information about the parties and candidates were available


Strongly agree 75.9 61.4 Don't Know 1.1 4.8 Refused 0.5 0.8 Total 100.0 100.0

66. You would be more likely to vote in the Parliamentary Election, if…: B. Voting facilities were more accessible (more polling stations, extended voting period, and a clearer process)

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 2.8 2.9 Somewhat disagree 2.4 2.9 Somewhat agree 11.8 18.7 Strongly agree 81.6 71.8 Don't Know 0.9 2.5 Refused 0.5 1.2 Total 100.0 100.0

66. You would be more likely to vote in the Parliamentary Election, if…: C. There were a party that generally reflects your interest and concerns

STUDENT % HOUSEHOLD % Strongly disagree 10.4 5.9


Somewhat disagree 6.7 6.5 Somewhat agree 16.1 22.5 Strongly agree 63.8 58.0 Don't Know 2.4 6.2 Refused 0.5 1.0 Total 100.0 100.0

66. You would be more likely to vote in the Parliamentary Election, if:.. D. The election process were transparent



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