The Afrobarometer poll, carried out between February 9 and March 8, 2022, with interviews with 1200 adult Angolans, indicates that 62 percent of people consider that violence against women is a "very common" phenomenon and another 35 percent "uncommon" occurrence in their communities.
According to the survey, 69 percent of citizens consider that "it is never justifiable" for a man to "use physical force to discipline his wife" - in the terms used in the survey -, with two out of ten stating that "sometimes it is justifiable" (20 percent), while (9 percent) said it is "always justifiable".
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) tops the list of women's rights issues, with 62 percent of Angolans considering this an issue to be addressed by authorities and society. The rejection of GBV is higher among the more educated (83 percent), urban residents (76 percent) and women (73 percent), details the survey.
"About half (49 percent) of Angolans considered it 'little likely' or 'very likely' that a woman who reports GBV will be criticized, harassed or embarrassed by members of the community", reveals the survey.
The survey also adds that the majority (59 percent) of citizens believe that it is plausible for the police to take GBV cases seriously, while two thirds (67 percent) of Angolans understand that domestic violence is a matter of criminal matters, more than a matter for a private forum to be resolved as a family.
Afrobarometer is a non-partisan, pan-African research network that provides authoritative data on African experiences and assessments of democracy, governance and quality of life, with the team in Angola led by Ovilongwa – Estudos de Opinião Pública.
The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level. The previous survey in Angola was conducted in 2019.
