A new beginning - the Faryab survey in post-ISAF climate (Wave 7)

Wave 7 of the Faryab Survey was conducted in April 2013. The questionnaire used in the survey has been developed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) in co-operation with the Norwegian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team Maimanah (PRT Maimanah). It consists of 53 questions covering three main areas: Security, development and governance, in line with both the Norwegian and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) strategies. In total, 1389 people in Faryab between 18 and 75 years of age were interviewed. About half of the respondents (52 %) believe things are going in the right direction in Faryab today, while 30 % say the opposite. This result does not follow the negative trend seen in earlier waves on this subject. Unemployment is clearly stated as the biggest problem in Faryab, as it has been through previous waves. 58 % reply that they are satisfied with the security situation. This result does not follow the negative trend seen in earlier waves. The Afghan National Police is considered an important security provider, and the impression of the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) is still good. The overall perception of the government is still good, and the results from wave 7 run counter to the negative trend from the past four waves. Nevertheless, the good impression is somewhat contradicted by the fact that corruption amongst the government officials is stated as a problem. Looking at the Pashtuns especially, we see that this ethnic group is more negative to the situation than the average in Faryab. This applies to development and social services, the security situation as well as governance/authorities issues. One reason for this might be that the Pashtun villages have a poor living standard compared to Faryab overall, with 97 % of the Pashtun respondents in this wave living with poor roads and poor or no access to water and electricity (one day a week or less). Despite the significant number of respondents in the survey, every poll suffers from limitations and biases. This is especially relevant in conflict areas, for instance because there might be limitations in the areas available for the pollers, or respondents may be afraid of expressing their real opinions.