The Africa Polling Institute, API, has scored the Nigeria Social Cohesion Index, NSCI, 39.6 per cent with the Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey #SCS2022.
The Executive Director, API, Prof Bell Ihua, said API made the survey on the heels of two past editions (2019 and 2021) to compute the NSCI and measure citizens’ perception of the state of social cohesion.
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API with the support of the Ford Foundation, conducted the nationally representative survey to measure social cohesion in Nigeria, between the months of May and June 2022.
According to the report, this score remains below the average of 50 per cent and represents a 4.6 per cent decline from the 2021 index of 44.2 per cent; indicating a weakening of the state of cohesion in the country over the last year.
API explained that before presenting the report, the study adopted a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, with the Citizens Perception Survey (CPS) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) adopted for primary data collection.
The survey reads in part, “A total of 7,245 contacts were contacted, out of which 5,178 interviews were completed, representing a response rate of 71.5%.
“All interviews were conducted by Face-to-face Household Interviews, using the Stratified Random Sampling technique; with citizens aged 18 years and above.
“The interviews were conducted in five major languages: English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; and geographic quotas were assigned to ensure that all Senatorial District and States were proportionately represented in the sample.
“The concept of social cohesion refers to the willingness of citizens of a country to cooperate and work together towards ensuring the survival and prosperity of the country.
“Drawing from the literature, and building upon the 2019 and 2021 survey round, this current edition captures attitudes and perceptions of citizens using thirteen key indicators to measure social cohesion in Nigeria – Identity, Trust, Social Justice, Participation and Patriotism, Natural Resource Governance, Gender Equity, Impunity, Corruption, Polarization, Peacebuilding, Coping strategies, Self-Worth and Future Expectation.
“Overall, the results of the Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey 2022 and the Nigeria Social Cohesion Index, computed with a score of 39.6%, demonstrate a weakening of the state of social cohesiveness in the country; owning to the increasing polarization along ethnic, religious, economic and political fault lines.”
Pointing to the key causes of polarization, the survey showed that, “more Nigerians consider Ethnicity (62%), Political affiliation (60%) and Religion (57%) as the top three factors that have divided the country today (in 2022) compared to the previous administration.”
However, API recommended that the Federal Government strengthens existing policies, legislation and institutions, that help to create a sense of belonging, promote trust, foster good governance and provide a conducive atmosphere for citizens to thrive and fulfil their life aspirations.
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