Afghanistan in 2017: A Survey of the Afghan People

Abstract

This year’s Survey includes several new questions proposed by key users of the report’s findings. New questions explore Afghans’ views on prisons and incarceration, disciplining of individuals who cannot repay debt, and disciplining community members who harass females. We also ask respondents about the value of any bribes they have given to various organizations or in certain situations. Questions on why respondents think the Taliban are fighting against the Afghan government, and whether reconciliation between the two is possible, have also been added, along with the same questions regarding ISIS/Daesh. We also gauge Afghans’ level of sympathy for both opposition groups. Following up on last year’s questions about migration, we ask participants who prefer to stay in Afghanistan to offer two reasons why. We ask respondents if they know of any returnees to Afghanistan, how they were treated abroad, the reasons for their return, and whether they faced any difficulty upon their return to Afghanistan. An in-depth discussion of the Survey methodology is provided in Appendix 1.