Views on trust in institutions,

corruption and elections: Highlights

from Afrobarometer Round 10
survey in Ghana

25 October 2024

First public dissemination event

Edem Selormey (PhD), Director of Research, CDD-

Ghana
What is Afrobarometer

▪ Pan-African, non-partisan
survey research network that
provides reliable data on
African experiences and
evaluations of democracy,
governance, and quality of life.
▪ Goal: To give African publics a
voice in policy and decision
making.
▪ Nine survey rounds in up to 42
countries have been
completed since 1999.
▪ Round 10 surveys were
launched in January 2024.
Where Afrobarometer works

First surveyed in
1999-2001
2002-2008
2011-2013
2014-2019
2021-2023
To be surveyed in R10
Never surveyed
Methodology
▪ Nationally representative sample of
adult citizens (aged 18+)
▪ Face-to-face interviews in the
language of the respondent’s choice
▪ Standard questionnaire allows
comparisons across countries and
over time.
▪ Sample size of 2,400 yields country-
level results with a margin of sampling
error of +/-2 percentage points at
95% confidence level.
▪ Data collection for Round 10 started
5 August and ended 22 August 2024.
Survey demographics
Residence National (%) Sample (%)
Western 6.8 6.8
Western North 2.8 2.8
Central 9.2 9.2
Greater Accra 19.6 19.6
Volta 5.5 5.5
Oti 2.2 2.2
Eastern 9.6 9.6
Ashanti 17.8 17.8
Ahafo 1.8 1.8
Bono 4.0 3.9
Bono East 3.7 3.7
Northern 6.5 6.5
Savanna 1.9 1.9
North East 1.8 1.8
Upper East 4.0 4.0
Upper West 2.8 2.8

Urban 61.4 61.4

Rural 38.5 38.6
Spread of sample
Survey demographics

Gender %
Men 50
Women 50
Education
No formal education 13
Primary 20
Secondary 47
Post-secondary 19
Religion
Christian 75%
Muslim 18%
Traditional/Ethnic 3%
Other 4%
Issues dominating the news
before and during fieldwork
 Governance Issues

• The appointment of new Electoral Commission members sparked

controversy, with civil society questioning their independence. The
opposition parties raised similar concerns.

• Concerns were raised about the EC's preparations for voter registration,
particularly issues surrounding using the Ghana Card as the sole
identification document for registration.

• EC announced plans to update the voter roll, with the opposition NDC
alleging that the EC was attempting to manipulate the voter register to
favor the ruling NPP.

• Parliament moved forward with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, leading to both

local and international backlash.

▪ The two major political parties, NDC and NPP, launched their manifestos.

• Campaign activities picked up momentum, with political parties and

independent candidates organizing rallies across key regions.
 Economic Issues

• The IMF Executive Board approved Ghana’s second tranche of

US$600m for disbursement.

• Rising inflation and the depreciation of the cedi resulted in higher

fuel and food prices, prompting public outcry.

• The Moody’s credit rating upgrade provided hope for economic

recovery.

• Youth unemployment remained a pressing issue, with the

Government launching initiatives aimed at reducing
unemployment.
 Corruption Issues

• High-profile corruption cases came to light, sparking national

outrage.

• The Auditor-General’s annual report exposed widespread

financial mismanagement across various government
institutions.

• Allegations of political interference in the Office of the Special

Prosecutor surfaced.

• Civil society organizations criticized the government for

undermining the independence of the Special Prosecutor.
 Infrastructure & Service Delivery Issues
• Significant road construction projects began, but poor road
conditions in some regions drew public criticism.

• Power outages persisted, leading to public outcry. The government

attributed the power cuts to technical faults, while the opposition
accused the government of dishonesty about the situation.

• Public frustration over the power outages led to protests and social
media campaigns calling for an end to the frequent outages.

• Several urban areas, particularly in Accra and Kumasi, experienced

intermittent water supply.

• Healthcare challenges persisted, with shortages of essential drugs

hitting hospitals, issues relating to the closure of the Korle Bu dialysis
center, and the upward revision of the cost of dialysis.

• New COVID-19 infections were reported, prompting health authorities

to urge the public to get vaccinated.
Key findings
Trust in institutions
Trust in Ghana Armed Forces 41% 24%

institutions Religious leaders 25% 24%

| Ghana NGOs/CSOs 25% 27%

| 2024 Ministry of Health 22% 27%

Traditional leaders 20% 22%

President 14% 14%

Courts 13% 22%

Respondents were
asked: How much Electoral Commission 11% 17%
do you trust each
of the following, or Police 11% 18%
haven’t you heard
enough about Opposition political parties 10% 17%
them to say?
New Patriotic Party 10% 12%

Members of Parliament 9% 16%

Metropolitan, municipal, or district

6% 16%
chief executives

Assembly men or women 5% 16%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

A lot Somewhat
Trends: Trust in institutions | Ghana | 2012-2024

Change Change
2022-2024 2012-2024
2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024
(pct. (pct.
points) points)
Members of
49% 36% 56% 39% 27% 24% -3 -25
Parliament
Opposition
54% 46% 42% 36% 29% 28% -1 -27
political parties
Ruling party 47% 36% 61% 47% 27% 22% -5 -25
President 56% 40% 71% 56% 32% 28% -5 -29
Police 42% 35% 40% 37% 28% 28% 0 -14
Courts 56% 42% 57% 47% 36% 35% -1 -22
Electoral
59% 37% 54% 53% 33% 28% -4 -30
Commission
Ghana Armed
72% 57% 75% 72% 67% 65% -1 -7
Forces

Respondents were asked: How much do you trust each of the following, or
haven’t you heard enough about them to say? (% who say “somewhat” or
“a lot”)
Perceived corruption
Who is
Police 63% 31%

corrupt Office of the Presidency 54% 36%

| Ghana Tax officials 53% 39%

| 2024 Members of Parliament 51% 40%

Judges and magistrates 44% 47%

Electoral Commission 43% 45%

Metropolitan, municipal, or
43% 47%
district chief executives

Civil servants 39% 51%

Respondents were asked:
How many of the Assembly men and women 31% 56%
following people do you
think are involved in Business executives 31% 57%
corruption, or haven’t
you heard enough about Traditional leaders 29% 56%
them to say?
Public media journalists 24% 64%

Religious leaders 21% 60%

Private media journalists 21% 65%

Non-governmental organisations 18% 57%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Most/All Some of them
Corruption trends: Office of the President and MPs
| Ghana | 2008-2024

100%

80%

60% 55% 54%

48%
54% 51%
38%
40% 32% 32%

20% 34%
30%
20% 27%
17%

0%
2008 2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024
Members of Parliament The office of the President

Respondents were asked: How many of the following people do you think are
involved in corruption, or haven’t you heard enough about them to say?
(% who say “most” or “all”)
Perceived corruption among tax officials, police,
and judges/magistrates | Ghana | 2008-2024
100%

80%

64% 65% 63%

59% 60%
60% 55% 53%
52% 49% 51%
46%
41%
40% 46% 44%
32% 41%
34% 38% 35%
33%
29%
20%

0%
2008 2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024

Tax officials Judges and magistrates Police

Respondents were asked: How many of the following people do you think are
involved in corruption, or haven’t you heard enough about them to say?
(% who say “most” or “all”)
Level of corruption | Ghana | 2014-2024
100%

83%
80% 77%
74%

60%
53%

39%
40%
36%

20%
20% 24% 15% 16%
19%
9%
8% 7%
6%
0%
2014 2017 2019 2022 2024
Increased somewhat/a lot Stayed the same Decreased somewhat/a lot

Respondents were asked: In your opinion, over the past year, has the level of
corruption in this country increased, decreased, or stayed the same?
Level of corruption 18-25 years 73%
increased |by 26-35 years 76%
demographic 36-45 years 74%

groups 46-55 years 75%

| Ghana 56 years and above 69%

| 2024
Post-secondary 82%

Secondary 73%

Respondents were asked: Primary 71%

In your opinion, over the
past year, has the level of No formal education 69%
corruption in this country
increased, decreased, or
stayed the same? Women 71%
(% who say “increased
somewhat” or “increased Men 76%
a lot”)

Rural 74%

Urban 74%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Risk of retaliation for reporting corruption | Ghana
| 2019-2024

100%

80%
69% 71%

58%
60%

40% 36%
30%
26%

20%

0%
2019 2022 2024
Can report without fear Risk retaliation or other negative consequences

Respondents were asked: In this country, can ordinary people report

incidents of corruption without fear, or do they risk retaliation or other
negative consequences if they speak out?
Evaluation of government performance in fighting
corruption | Ghana | 2012-2024

100%
85% 82%
80% 74%
67%

60% 56% 54%

40% 44%
40%
33%
20% 26%

14% 16%
0%
2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024
Fairly/Very badly Fairly/Very well

Respondents were asked: How well or badly would you say the current
government is handling the following matters, or you haven’t heard
enough to say: Fighting corruption in government?
Views on elections
Popular support for elections | Ghana | 2002-2024

100% 91% 93%

89% 87% 88%
82% 82% 84% 81%
80%

60%

40%

17% 16% 15% 18%

20% 12% 11%
8% 8% 7%

0%
2002 2005 2008 2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024
Should choose leaders through elections
Should use other methods to choose leaders

Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your view?
Statement 1: We should choose our leaders in this country through regular, open,
and honest elections.
Statement 2: Since elections sometimes produce bad results, we should adopt
other methods for choosing this country’s leaders.
Support for multiparty competition | Ghana
|2002-2024

100%

81%
80% 72% 72%
70% 70% 70% 69% 69%
57%
60%

40%

20%

0%
2002 2005 2008 2012 2014 2017 2019 2022 2024

Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your

view?
Statement 1: Political parties create division and confusion; it is therefore
unnecessary to have many political parties in Ghana.
Statement 2: Many political parties are needed to make sure that Ghanaians
have real choices in who governs them.
(% who agree with Statement 2)
Opposition parties should hold government
accountable vs. cooperate | Ghana | 2022-2024

100%

80%
66%
60% 57%

41%
40% 33%

20%

0%
Opposition parties should hold Opposition parties should cooperate
government accountable with government
2022 2024

Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your

view?
Statement 1: After losing an election, opposition parties should monitor and
criticise the government in order to hold it accountable.
Statement 2: Once an election is over, opposition parties and politicians should
accept defeat and cooperate with government to help it develop the country.
 Participation in
the 2020 election
| Ghana | 2024

2%
20%
I voted in the
election
I did not vote

I was too young

to vote
77%
Respondents were asked: In the
last national election, held in 2020,
did you vote, or not, or were you
too young to vote? Or can’t you
remember whether you voted?
Freeness and fairness of 2020 election | Ghana | 2024

Completely free and fair 32%

Free and fair, but with minor problems 28%

Free and fair, but with major problems 17%

Not free and fair 15%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Respondents were asked: On the whole, how would you rate the
freeness and fairness of the last general election, held in 2020?
Freeness and fairness of last election | Ghana
| 2012-2024

2012 39% 40% 10% 5%

2014 26% 20% 21% 24%

2017 66% 21% 5% 3%

2019 59% 22% 7% 3%

2022 37% 27% 20% 12%

2024 32% 28% 17% 15%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Completely free and fair Free and fair with minor problems
Free and fair with major problems Not free and fair

Respondents were asked: On the whole, how would you rate the
freeness and fairness of the last general election, held in [year]?
Fear of intimidation or violence in 2020 election
| Ghana | 2024

85% 14%

A little bit/ Not at all Somewhat/A lot

Respondents were asked: During the last general election campaign in

2020, how much did you personally fear becoming a victim of political
intimidation or violence?
Violation of ballot secrecy | Ghana | 2024

83% 14%

Not very likely/Not at all likely Somewhat likely/Very likely

Respondents were asked: How likely do you think it is that powerful people can
find out how you voted, even though there is supposed to be a secret ballot in
this country?
If elections were held tomorrow| Ghana | 2024

Would vote for a party or independent

56%
candidate

Would not vote 16%

Don't know/refused 28%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Respondents were asked: If presidential elections were held tomorrow, which

party’s candidate would you vote for?
Voter apathy: “Would not vote” | by party affiliation
| Ghana | 2024
100%

80%

60%

40%
29%
24% 24%
20%
6%
1%
0%
CPP supporters NDC supporters NPP supporters Not close to any Don't
party/not willing know/refused
to disclose

Respondents were asked: If presidential elections were held tomorrow, which

party’s candidate would you vote for?
Voter apathy: ‘Would not vote’ | Ghana | by age
| 2024

18-25 years 19%

26-35 years 19%

36-45 years 13%

46-55 years 10%

56 years and above 10%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Respondents were asked: If presidential elections were held tomorrow, which

party’s candidate would you vote for? (% who say they "would not vote")
Voter apathy: Rural 10%
‘Would not vote’ Urban 19%
| Ghana
| by demographic Women 20%
group | 2024 Men 11%

Post-secondary 18%

Secondary 18%

Primary 10%

No formal education 10%

Respondents were asked:

If presidential elections
were held tomorrow, High lived poverty 10%
which party’s candidate
would you vote for? Moderate lived poverty 15%
(% who say they "would
Low lived poverty 18%
not vote")
No lived poverty 14%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

What will
influence Candidate's honesty 73% 17% 5%

voters’ choice
| Ghana Candidate's character 70% 18% 6%

| 2024
Campaign promises 32% 27% 35%

Candidate's running mate 21% 24% 49%

Respondents were asked:
Let’s talk about your vote
in the upcoming
December 2024 general Money/Gifts/Favours 15% 15% 65%
elections. As a voter,
please tell me how much
your choice of political
party or candidates will Candidate's ethnicity 12% 18% 64%
be influenced by the
following. …

Candidate's religious faith 11% 21% 62%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

A lot A little Not at all
Approach Presidential and parliamentary
to voting candidates from the same
political party
58%

| Ghana
Presidential and parliamentary
| 2024 candidates from different political 15%
parties

Independent presidential and

6%
parliamentary candidates

Other combination, not

candidates from the same 1%
political party

Not decided on how I am going

Respondents were 7%
to vote
asked: Please tell me
which of the following
best describes how
you intend to vote in I will not vote 9%
the upcoming 2024
presidential and
parliamentary
elections. Don't know/Refused 3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Key findings

▪ Among key public institutions, the Ghana Armed Forces, religious

leaders, traditional leaders, and non-governmental and civil society
organisations are the most trusted.

▪ Trust in key state institutions/officials witnessed marginal declines

compared to 2022 but major declines since 2012.

▪ Among key public officials, the police, the Presidency, tax officials,
MPs, and judges and magistrates are most widely perceived as
corrupt.

▪ Three-fourths (74%) of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the

country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” over the past year, a 3-
percentage-point decline compared to 2022.

▪ Only about a quarter (26%) of Ghanaians believe that people can

report corruption without fear of retaliation, a decline of 4
percentage points compared to 2022.
Key findings

▪ Popular support for elections as the method for choosing leaders

has consistently remained high since 2002. However, over time,
there has been an increase in the percentage who think other
methods should be adopted.

▪ Six in 10 citizens (60%) say the 2020 general election was

“completely free and fair” or “free and fair with minor problems.”

▪ A candidate’s honesty (90%), character (88%), and campaign

promises (59%) are the three major factors that Ghanaians say will
influence their choices in the 2024 polls.
 Thank you

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