One for the Castro fan club
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Via The Miami Herald:
"a new poll indicat[es] that more than four out of five Cubans surveyed inside the country are unhappy with its direction. The survey, conducted by the International Republican Institute, also found that one in five Cubans named food scarcity as their biggest worry, and 82 percent said life in Cuba was going ``so-so, badly or very badly.'' That was up slightly from 80 percent in November 2008, the last time the study was conducted....The poll had to be conducted surreptitiously on the island, and was done by a Latin American polling firm that the institute won't name, citing the ability of the firm to keep working in Cuba. The interviews with 432 Cuban adults, ages 18 and over, were conducted face-to-face from July 4 to Aug. 7 in 12 Cuban provinces. The poll carries a margin of error of 5 percentage points...Given that answering edgy poll questions honestly in a police state is rather riskier than in these parts, it is safe to assume that these results underplay the real sentiments of the unfortunate Cuban people.
There was little unanimity on the question of how to improve Cuba's economy: 20 percent suggested changing the political system; 15 percent cited ending the practice of requiring two forms of currency; and 10 percent said changing the economic system.
The survey also indicated that, if given the chance, 75 percent of those surveyed would vote for democracy -- an increase from 63 percent in November 2008. Support is highest among those 40 to 49 years old, with 82 percent saying they'd vote for a democracy. Of those 60 and older, 64 percent said they'd vote for democracy -- an increase of nearly 20 percentage points from November 2008.
Labels: Cuba, sic semper tyrannis
