More than half of the population views the economy as the country’s biggest problem, according to a study of democracy here, which also found that corruption levels remain high and the perception of crime may be exaggerated.
The study, The Political Culture of Democracy in Guyana, 2009: The Impact of Governance, was conducted as part of the 2008/9 AmericasBarometer series of surveys under the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) (see box). Previously unreleased, its findings include that only about half of the Guyanese population is satisfied with how democracy is functioning here. It said that 45.1% of the population is “satisfied” and 5.6% is “very satisfied” with the way democracy works here, in comparison with 38.8% that is “dissatisfied” and 10.5% that is “very dissatisfied.” The study also found that citizens have intermediate levels of confidence in public institutions, with the exception
