The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica and in the Americas, 2014: Democratic Governance across 10 Years of the AmericasBarometer By: Anthony A. Harriott, Ph.D. Centre for Leadership and Governance, Department of Government, UWI, Mona Balford A. Lewis Centre for Leadership and Governance, Department of Government, UWI, Mona Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, Ph.D. LAPOP Director and Series Editor Vanderbilt University Centre for Leadership & Governance, University of the West Indies, Mona This study was performed with support from the Program in Democracy and Governance of the United States Agency for International Development. The opinions expressed in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of the United States Agency for International Development. April, 2015 The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica and in the Americas, 2014: Democratic Governance across 10 Years of the AmericasBarometer INVESTIGATIVE TEAM Investigation Professor Anthony A. Harriott, PhD., Centre for Leadership and Governance, Department of Government, UWI, Mona Balford A. Lewis, Centre for Leadership & Governance, University of the West Indies, Mona Centre for Leadership and Governance, Department of Government, UWI, Mona Fieldwork Coordination Balford A. Lewis Centre for Leadership and Governance, Department of Government, UWI, Mona Research and Editorial Support Paul Martin, PhD. and Kenisha V. Nelson General Coordination Nicole Hinton Research Coordinator, LAPOP Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. USA Mariana Rodríguez Program Coordinator, LAPOP Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. USA Table of Contents Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ ix List of Maps .......................................................................................................................................... xiii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ xiii Preface ................................................................................................................................................... xv Prologue: Background to the Study .................................................................................................. xvii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... xxvii Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ xxxi Understanding Figures in this Study ............................................................................................. xxxix Part I: Insecurity, Governance, and Civil Society in Jamaica and in the Americas ........................ 1 Chapter 1. Crime and Violence across the Americas ...................................................................... 3 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 II. Background: The Prevalence of Crime and Violence in the Americas ........................................ 5 Official Rates of Intentional Homicide, Robberies and Burglaries .................................... 5 Public Opinion Data as an Important Source for Crime Statistics..................................... 9 III. An Overview of Crime and Violence in the Minds of Citizens of the Americas ..................... 11 IV. Experiences with Crime and Violence in the Americas: A View from the AmericasBarometer ................................................................................................................... 15 Trends in Crime Victimization across the Americas ......................................................... 15 Who is Likely to Be a Victim of a Crime? ......................................................................... 25 V. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 27 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 2. Economic Development and Perceived Economic Performance in the Americas ..................................................................................................................... 29 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 29 II. Main Findings ............................................................................................................................. 30 III. The Evolution of Household Wealth ......................................................................................... 31 IV. Despite Improvements, Many Households Struggle to Make Ends Meet ................................ 36 V. How Do People Perceive the National Economy? ..................................................................... 39 VI. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 44 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 3. Corruption in the Americas ......................................................................................... 49 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 49 II. Main Findings ............................................................................................................................. 50 III. Personal Experiences with Corruption ...................................................................................... 51 IV. How Do the Citizens of the Americas Perceive Corruption in Government? .......................... 58 Page | v The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica, 2014 V. Do the Citizens of the Americas See Corruption as Justifiable? ................................................ 63 VI. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 66 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 4. Democracy, Performance, and Local Government in the Americas ........................ 71 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 71 II. Main Findings of this Chapter .................................................................................................... 71 III. Local Government, Participation, Institutional Trust, and Democracy .................................... 72 IV. Local Level Participation .......................................................................................................... 74 Local Meeting Attendance ................................................................................................. 75 Demand Making on Local Government ............................................................................ 76 V. Satisfaction with and Trust in Local Government ..................................................................... 81 Satisfaction with Local Services ........................................................................................ 82 Trust in Local Government ............................................................................................... 92 VI. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 95 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 97 Chapter 5. A Decade of Democratic Legitimacy in the Americas in the Americas.................. 103 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 103 II. Main Findings ........................................................................................................................... 104 III. Support for Democracy ........................................................................................................... 105 IV. Trust in Political and Social Institutions ................................................................................. 106 V. Attitudinal Profiles Conducive to Democratic Stability .......................................................... 115 Support for the Political System ...................................................................................... 116 Political Tolerance .......................................................................................................... 120 Attitudes Conducive to Democratic Stability .................................................................. 124 VI. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 128 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................