Dominicans are overwhelmingly optimistic that things are getting better and will continue to improve. Some 1,194 Dominican adults were polled in the CID-Gallup Latin American survey that was conducted from 24 November to 2 December.
Seventy-nine percent of Dominicans feel the Dominican economy is improving and that they will be better off next year, according to the results. Seventy-three percent are optimistic that the country is on the right track, while 74% said their household’s finances have improved. This is considerably up from 23% when the same question was asked by Gallup pollsters in April 2004. The PLD maintains its popularity in politics, with 55% of the population’s support, followed by the PRD with 17% and the PRSC with 6%.
Major issues the Dominicans would like the government to tackle are the cost of living, urban violence and crime and the decline in moral values. One of every five families has had someone affected by a robbery or assault in the past four months. The majority of those polled say that President Fernandez has yet to successfully address the electric problems and the lack of jobs. 72% feel that by the end of his term, President Leonel Fernandez will have left the country a better place than that in which he received it from his predecessor.
When asked what they would say if given the opportunity to speak to President Leonel Fernandez, the majority replied that they would suggest he govern “for all and not merely for a few.”
For the complete poll results in Spanish, see http://dr1.com/news/2004/121604_gallup.shtml