By: Sylvanus Blake, Deputy Director PEOD ACC
My attention has been drawn to a so-called ‘online social media citizens’ opinion poll’ conducted by the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) on its dedicated WhatsApp channel, that is followed by around 700 people, including my humble self.
To start with, I believe in the significant role of civil society groups like CHRDI in shaping -and reshaping- public opinion, amplifying public concerns, and promoting accountability and transparency.
The recent poll conducted in the CHRDI WhatsApp channel last week and released on Monday the 13th April 2026, has been reported by CHRDI at suggesting that 53% (fifty three percent) of respondents stated public distrust as a result of corruption and lack of integrity in political and public institutions.
CHRDI stated in their report, which has been referenced by many local media outlets with intriguing headlines like “Corruption Tops Public Concerns in CHRDI Citizens Trust Poll’’, that the said public opinion poll delivered a clear verdict on public confidence. “Corruption and a lack of integrity are the primary reasons citizens have lost faith in their leaders and institutions,’’ CHRDI stated on their WhatsApp channel.
They stated further that the poll asked respondents to identify the factor with the greatest negative impact on their trust, and the results highlight a massive gap between systemic corruption and other societal issues, other thematic reasons the poll asked respondents about are; Political Polarisation (16%), Broken Promises & Unreliability (14%), Misinformation & Lack of Transparency (9%), Economic Insecurity (4%), and Lack of Political Voice (4%).
While gauging people’s opinions on socio-political issues like these is highly welcomed, caution should be exercised on how the research questions are framed, the demographic spread of the population sample targeted, and more importantly the research tools and methods used, in a bid to get credible and reliable data and findings that cannot be skewed into any of the political narratives of an already polarized society.
Our crusade against corruption needs to be placed above other sentiments, in order for us to continue making the gains against something that has been the singular threat to our quest for development.
I am aware that CHRDI is a worthy alliance partner in the fight against corruption, and have over the years consistently, persistently, and courageously contributed to the national crusade against corruption, and even signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the nation’s leading anti-graft institution, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
One of the many concerns with this CHRDI social media public opinion poll- quite apart from the several concerns related to the unknown number of people who participated in the survey, their spread across the country which cannot be verified as covering the different critical shades of society, etc.- hinges on the way the research question itself was couched: “Which of the following factors has the greatest negative impact on your level of trust in politicians and public institutions today?’’.
The first part of this cardinal question, in my informed opinion, is at the heart of recent frenzied national political debate and disagreement that even led the opposition to formally withdraw its members from all elected positions in the aftermath of the appointment of the Chief Electoral Commissioner.
I can allude to the fact that there is much going on in our political institutions today to warrant improved and or/reduced trust in our political institutions, depending on the political leaning of the person(s) you talk to.
Therefore, to now blend trust in political institutions with public institutions, especially integrity institutions like the ACC, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone, etc., who are deemed to be apolitical did not give many of the respondents, including this writer, the opportunity to answer the question the way they/I would have loved.
It is clear that public confidence in institutions like the ACC has kept increasing in a sustained and appreciable way since 2018. For instance, Corruption Perception Surveys conducted by the Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law (CARL) have indicated an over 90% public confidence in the work of the ACC in addressing corruption, an exponential jump from about 46% public confidence that was reported in 2017.
I am of the view that if CHRDI could have asked their respondents on their trust in public institutions specifically it wouldn’t have been the reported 53% lack of trust.
Better still for the purposes of surgical precision, the question can be directed specifically to public trust in like-minded or individual institutions. Blending all institutions, both political and public, has made what could have been a very useful assessment to especially institutions like the ACC too broad, unclear, and susceptible to many questions than the answers this research seeks to provide.
In Sierra Leone today, depending on who you talk to, especially on socio-political issues, everything can be good or bad, especially when questions around service delivery, democratic governance, rule of law, people’s rights, etc. are asked.
I pause
