Six in 10 say Malawi on wrong track as hunger, cash shortages bite, Afrobarometer survey finds

A majority of Malawians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction as families struggle with food insecurity, shortages of income and a rising cost of living, a new Afrobarometer survey has found.

The nationwide survey, released in Lilongwe on Wednesday, found that 60 per cent of citizens say Malawi is moving in the wrong direction.

Optimism has improved compared with 2024.

The findings point to a population caught between growing hope and persistent economic hardship.

According to the survey, 58 per cent of respondents describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad”, and 59 per cent say economic conditions have worsened over the past five years.

The hardship is stark.

Almost nine in 10 Malawians said they had gone without a cash income at least once in the previous year, and 70 per cent reported going without enough food.

Significant numbers also reported shortages of medicines, clean water and cooking fuel.

Many households are relying on informal support rather than formal financial institutions.

Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said they had borrowed money from relatives or friends to survive.

Public ratings of the government’s economic management have improved. More than half of respondents said the government is handling the economy well: 53 per cent approved of its management of the economy, 54 per cent praised efforts to create a favourable business environment, and 52 per cent commended its handling of inflation.

Job creation remains the main source of dissatisfaction.

Only 38 per cent said the government is doing a good job of creating employment, making it the lowest-rated area of economic performance.

The survey also shows strong resistance to policies that could raise household costs.

Two-thirds of respondents said the government should prioritise keeping fuel prices low, even if that leads to fuel shortages. S

ome 68 per cent opposed devaluing the kwacha to ease the foreign-exchange crisis.

The findings suggest that confidence in the government’s economic stewardship has improved significantly compared with two years ago, but many Malawians have yet to feel that recovery in their own lives.