Executive Summary
Sokwanele, a civic action support group, which also provides data and analysis about events in Zimbabwe, undertook a survey in 2010 order to give its readers an opportunity to submit their views on the content of the constitution which was to be drafted after consultation with the general population. It began about the same time as live consultations were begun throughout Zimbabwe through the official process driven by the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC). This report contains the results of that survey.
Demographics of the respondents
As a web-based survey, Sokwanele's questionnaire drew usable responses from 1039 readers. Not all of them answered online, as some hard copies were handed out as well, but the online submissions accounted for 85% of the responses. A substantial number of preliminary questions which identified the demographics of the respondents showed that 59% of them lived in the diaspora, and of those living in Zimbabwe, the great majority were based in Harare or Bulawayo. 69% of the respondents were male, only 57% were black compared to 36% white, and as many as 71% said they had a tertiary education. Furthermore 52% were in full-time employment. Thus on several counts the respondents were not representative of the Zimbabwean population.
The majority of those responding were Zimbabweans citizens and 69% retained the right to vote, in spite of so many being out of Zimbabwe. Many had voted in elections going back to 1980. Just under half claimed to have an affiliation with the MDC-T political party. A substantial number had left the country before 2000, but the largest numbers went into exile between 2001-2002, and after 2005. Amongst those in the diaspora the commonest reason for leaving was economic (45%) and political reasons (26%), with 63% supporting family members in Zimbabwe. More than three quarters of them said they would want to return to Zimbabwe in the future.
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