Current unconstitutional changes in government in Africa have created key analytical puzzles. On the one hand, the Afrobarometer survey finds a consistently high support for democracy as a concept. On the other hand, the same data also indicate a growing tolerance of military coups.  Pictures of crowds cheering military leaders in Niger, Mali, or Gabon seem to confirm this. There is an apparent paradox between the high demand for democracy and the evident willingness to relinquish civil liberties which needs explanation. This pilot project investigates public opionion on the current political situation in Africa in coup-affected countries. 

This study employed a mobile phone-based survey to achieve two primary objectives: 

1. to obtain a nationally representative sample and
2. to reduce data collection costs across participating countries. 

Phone surveys have been rarely used in Africa, but given the difficult environment for field research especially in conflict-affected countries like Mali, they provide an opportunity of rapid data collection without putting field workers at disproportionate risk.

• First country study: Gabon, June 2024 in collaboration with CERGEP, Université Omar Bongo, Librevill
• Second country study: Mali, November 2025 in collaboration with CapDH, Bamako
• Third country study: Burkina Faso, September 2025 in collaboration with CAPES, Ouagadougou