The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

INTER-AMERICAN Development Bank country representative Astrid Wynter commended the government for authorising the Latin American Public Opinion Project for the first time in the country.

She described the move as a “demonstration of fundamental democratic principles”.

Undertaken by Vanderbilt University, the value survey was selected by the bank for its thorough methodology, according to Mrs Wynter, who said the data generated creates a snapshot of public perception on a wide range of topics like crime, public services, and governance. The data can then be used to enhance evidence-based policies, and measure the efficacy of initiatives to address shortfalls exposed.

“If you look at other countries in the region,” Ms Wynter told The Tribune, “they have been doing this, some of them since 2008, some on a yearly basis. The authorities are to be commended, congratulated even, for their openness to want to hear from the public in a way that is objective.

“The data that is generated in these surveys have a very rich basis for making evidence-based policy decisions especially in the area of crime and violence prevention and reduction.”

The study was conducted between June and October last year. Fieldwork was conducted by Public Domain, and the study used a national probability sample design of voting-age adults. A total of 3,429 Bahamians from New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma & Cays, and Andros, participated in face-to-face-interviews.

Mrs Wynter clarified that while the bank funded the survey, it did not publish a report on the findings. Instead, the data will be used to guide preparations for the bank’s collaboration with the government on its Citizen Security project and its annual regional report.

“There is a section that has to do with the political environment,” she said, “but that’s a very narrow part of the survey.”

Mrs Wynter said: “The government has asked IDB to partner with them on the Citizen Security project. This project is in preparation and it’s going to our board of directors for consideration in June. As part of preparation for that project, victimisation information is very important to establish a baseline. Victimisation is the public’s perception of safety and security.”

“We’ve seen a shift in recent years,” Mrs Wynter added, “in almost all the sectors where we work in, openness to finding data and providing it publicly. In any sector we work in, any data that is generated is available, the government has never said ‘you can’t publish this, you can’t publish that.’ It is always with respect to our access to information policy, data collection, anything that has a public value is available.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction, a step forward in terms of really what it means to be a democratic country.”