Many Africans find it challenging to access public services, with significant minorities reporting disrespectful treatment by service providers, the latest Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) Pan-Africa Profile (https://apo-opa.co/3VPqabk) shows.

Based on data from 39 African countries, the new report focuses on the experiences of citizens who sought services from public health facilities, public schools, government agencies that provide identity documents, and/or the police during the 12 months preceding the surveys.

Large pluralities say it was difficult to obtain an identity document, police assistance, or medical care. And more than a third each say they were treated with a lack of respect by government agencies and public hospitals or clinics.

Youth and poor citizens are particularly likely to report difficulty in obtaining services as well as disrespectful treatment.

Analysis of the data also shows that experiencing a lack of respect by public service providers is correlated with more negative views of the government and of democracy itself.

Key findings

• On average across 39 countries, substantial proportions of the adult population say they had contact with a public health care facility (58%), a public school (34%), and/or a government agency that provides identification documents such as a birth certificate, driver’s licence, passport, or permit (33%). More than four in 10 (45%) say they requested police assistance, encountered the police in other situations, or both.

• Among those who report having contact with these public service providers:
  • Almost half say they found it “difficult” or “very difficult” to obtain an identity document (49%), police assistance (46%), or health services (45%) (Figure 1).
  • More than one-third say they were treated with little or no respect by ID authorities (39%) and medical staff (36%) (Figure 2).
  • A similar proportion (34%) say police officers in their country rarely or never “operate in a professional manner and respect the rights of all citizens.”
  • Youth and poor citizens are particularly likely to report difficulty in obtaining services as well as disrespectful treatment by service providers (Figure 3).
• Respondents who felt disrespected by public service providers are more likely to distrust and disapprove of their elected leaders, more likely to be dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country, and less likely to support a democratic form of government (Figure 4).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2023) cover 39 countries.

Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.