42 Percent of Zimbabweans prefer return of Zim Dollar: Poll




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In a nationally representative survey carried out in April-May by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI), Afrobarometer found that 98 percent of Zimbabweans are against the continued use of the bond notes. 42 percent of the respondents said that they would rather have the Zimbabwe dollar than to continue using the bond notes. However, 50 percent of the respondents said that they would prefer to use the U.S. dollar.

The Key findings from the survey were as follows:

▪Asked which currency their country should use, Zimbabweans prefer the U.S. dollar (50%) or the Zimbabwe dollar (42%). Fewer than one in 10 would opt for the South African rand (5%) or for continued use of bond notes (2%).

▪The U.S. dollar is most popular among urban, younger, and better-educated citizens, while the Zimbabwe dollar wins out among rural, older, and less-educated respondents

  • Significantly more urban (59%) than rural (45%) respondents prefer using the U.S. dollar, but preferences are reversed with respect to the local currency: More rural (47%) than urban (33%) residents prefer using the Zimbabwe dollar.
  • The preference for the indigenous currency increases with age: While only 36% of the youth say they want the Zimbabwe dollar back, this proportion rises to 45% among the middle-aged and to 54% among the senior generation. On the other hand, the preference for the U.S. dollar declines with age, from 56% among the youth to 41% among the elders.
  • The Zimbabwe dollar is least popular among those with post-secondary education (33%), compared to 53% among those with primary education.

▪A preference for using the South African rand is significantly stronger among residents of Bulawayo (14%) and Matabeleland South (13%), near South Africa. Harare

The survey was commissioned by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Afrobarometer’s core partner for Southern Africa, and conducted by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI), Afrobarometer’s national partner in Zimbabwe. MPOI interviewed 2,400 adult citizens between 28 April and 13 May 2018 in all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe.