Nearly 8 out of 10 Namibians (78%) favor a Basic Income Grant (BIG—as unconditional basic income is known in the region) for every Namibian citizen according to a recent poll. This result is probably the highest level of support for Basic Income recorded in any representative poll in any country. Most respondents still favored BIG even if it required raising taxes or introducing new taxes. Despite the popularity of BIG, the ruling party remains opposed to it. Despite the ruling party’s opposition to BIG, the ruling party remains popular.
"The Swapo Youth League (SPYL) secretary, Dr Elijah Ngurare, says if every Namibian stood to benefit from the economic wealth of the country equitably there would be no need for calls for subventions such as the Basic Income Grant (BIG)." -New Era
The poll results came from round six of Afrobarometer opinion poll, which interview 1,200 adults all across the country during the period between 27 August and 19 September 2014. The sixth round survey is for the period between 2014 and 2015 covering up to 35 African countries. Survey Warehouse and the Institute for Public Policy Research conducted the Afrobarometer survey in Namibia.
For more information see:
Kuzeeko Tjitemisa, “Namibians craving for BIG – report.” New Era, November 19, 2014.
New Era, “Unequal income fuels BIG calls – Ngurare.” New Era, October 14, 2014.
Institute for Public Policy Research, “New Release: Namibians express strong policy prefe4rences in comparison to the government.” Windhoek, Namibia. 18 November, 2014.
