For Immediate Release
July 28, 2004

Majority of Afghanistan Believe Life Is Better
Fact of the Day

An overwhelming majority of Afghans believe that life is better now than it was two years ago, according to a recent nationwide public opinion poll. In the survey, 86 percent of 2,378 Afghans polled said the situation in their country is better than it was two years ago, and 90 percent said it is better than it was five years ago under the extremist Taliban regime. Ninety-six percent of respondents identified themselves as "Afghan" rather than as part of a specific ethnic group. The survey was conducted in March and April 2004. These results demonstrate that freedom is giving rise to optimism in Afghanistan.

SOURCE: International Republican Institute, Washington, D.C.