The International Republican Institutes (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) has revealed that in a recent poll that it conducted in Sierra Leone, majority of the people believe the country is moving in the wrong direction.

According to the poll results, 55% of those interviewed said the country was moving in the wrong direction as against 41% who say the country is moving in the right direction.

Data for the poll was collected between 16th December 2021 and 16th January 2022 through face-to-face interviews of 1,534 adults aged 18 and older.

These poll results show a perceptible “slide” from a December 2018 poll by IRI which had found that 54% of Sierra Leoneans believed the country was moving in the right direction.

“It’s clear that the optimism that was felt after the 2018 elections continues to drop,” said IRI Africa Director Gregory Kearns. “National leaders must demonstrate more urgency towards meeting the needs of the people if they want to see that optimism return.”

Awoko Newspaper reports that, on the positive side the poll authors reveal that 69% believe that more women are needed in national government positions: 92% say that its “very important or somewhat important to include all the members of the country’s adult population in political decision making.” Further that “85% believe that democracy is the best possible form of government for Sierra Leone.