Afghans' outlook on lives remains bleak

WASHINGTON - Afghans' views of their lives have improved little between 2011 and 2012, as a majority still believe that they are "struggling," according to a Gallup poll released on Monday.

About one in four Afghans rate their lives poorly enough to be considered "suffering" -- a ratio essentially unchanged from the year before -- and the percentage of those who are "thriving" remains flat at 4 percent. Among the surveyed, 71 percent said they are still "struggling," the poll finds.

Gallup classifies respondents on how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from 0 to 10. The rating of 7 or higher are classified as "thriving," and the rating of 4 or lower are classified as "suffering." The remainder ratings are classified as "struggling."

Afghans, on average, rate their current lives at a low 3.88. The rating has showed no gains since it dropped from a high of 4.76 in 2010. Afghans' outlook for their future also remains near its lowest point since Gallup began asking this question in 2008. Their average rating of how their lives will be in five years is 5. 33, down from a high of 5.82 in 2010.

Evaluating future welfare is particularly difficult for Afghans, who face an unknown future as NATO forces are expected to leave the country in 2014 after transferring security responsibilities to the still unproven Afghan National Security Forces, the Gallup noted.

Despite more than a decade of international development efforts, Afghans' satisfaction with their standard of living has steadily deteriorated, which may partly explain their bleak outlook on their lives. The Afghans' average satisfaction with standard of living now stands at 29 percent, the poll finds.

Afghans' increasing dissatisfaction with their standard of living likely has much to do with their bleak outlook on their future, especially after the NATO exit which could lead to a Taliban insurgency and more violence, the Gallup added.

The poll, conducted on April 20-26, was based on approximately 1,000 face-to-face interviews with Afghan adults aged 15 and older. It has an error margin of about 4 percent.