What do Cubans want? Some answers are in a recent poll conducted by Gallup International, its first survey in Cuba in more than a decade. The executive summary of the report is available here.
Interestingly, the results suggest that Cubans are satisfied with the availability of education and health services, with more than 95% saying that in both cases everyone has access regardless of their economic status. The numbers are especially impressive when compared to averages in Latin America, where just 42% think that healthcare is equally available to all classes of society. While access to healthcare and education is universal and the quality is deemed high, few are satisfied with the freedom “to choose what to do with their lives” – only 25% compared to 80% for urban Latin America.
Some responses about political institutions:
Having been born in Castro’s era, the majority of respondents see themselves as children of the revolution. Asked whether a series of adjectives describe the Cuban people, they were much more likely to say Cubans are “fair” (79%) and “equalitarian” (71%) than they were to say they are “democratic” (47%).
When asked about the country’s current leadership, respondents split fairly evenly: 47% say they approve of Cuba’s leadership, while 40% disapprove, and 13% did not offer a response.
Foreign Policy is also running a feature story on the legacy of Fidel Castro in Cuba (subscription required). Carlos Alberto Montaner and Ignacio Ramonet square off, highlighting the good and the bad of life in Cuba. Ignacio Ramonet contends that socialism is working well in Cuba, other countries can learn a few things from Cuban experience, and the people will continue to support the course. Montaner argues that after Castro Cuba will be free, and Cubans will enjoy freedom and democracy, as well as property rights and rule of law, because they have a right to do so.
Many opinions are out there on what the future course of Cuba’s political, economic, and social development should be. I hope that in charting the country’s course, the country’s leaders and the international community will not forget to stop for a second and ask – what do Cubans want?
Published Date: January 05, 2007