Yemeni Citizens Concerns Perception of Human Rights and CSOs ( English Version) v3

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Yemeni citizens mainconcerns, perceptionof human rights and

CSOs

A Y EMEN P OLLING C ENTER

R EPORT

September2012


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This report has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of thisdocument are the sole responsibility of the Yemen Polling Center and can under no circumstances be

regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.


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TABLE OFCONTENTS

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 3

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................. 4

Background .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 7

1. Yemens Citizens Major Concerns ....................................................................................................... 8

Economic Situation .................................................................................................................................... 9

Political Unrest ........................................................................................................................................ 11

Security Situation .................................................................................................................................... 12

Public Services ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Corruption ............................................................................................................................................... 15

2. Human Rights Awareness among Yemeni Citizens ............................................................................. 17Knowledge of Human Rights ................................................................................................................... 17

Primary Human Rights ............................................................................................................................. 19

Violation of Human Rights ....................................................................................................................... 22

Ministry of Human Rights ........................................................................................................................ 24

3. Yemens Citizens Perception of Civil Society Organizations ............................................................... 26

Knowledge and understanding of CSOs .................................................................................................. 26

Perception of CSOs' Importance and Performance ................................................................................ 28

CSOs' sources of funding ......................................................................................................................... 30

Willingness of Involvement among Yemens Citizens ............................................................................. 30

General Media access .......................................................................................................................... 32

Access to Sources of News .................................................................................................................. 35

Print Newspapers ................................................................................................................................ 39

Mobile Phone ...................................................................................................................................... 46

Level of satisfaction ............................................................................................................................. 48

Access to Local news ........................................................................................................................... 49


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LIST OFFIGURES

Figure 1: Yemeni citizens' main concerns I (2010-2012) ............................................................................... 9

Figure 2: Yemeni citizens' main concerns II (2010-2012) .............................................................................. 9Figure 3: Perception of Yemen's economic situation (2010 / 2012) ........................................................... 10Figure 4: The economy as a main problem by governorate ....................................................................... 10Figure 5: Evolution of political unrest as a source of concern (2010 - 2012) .............................................. 11Figure 6: Confidence in caretaker government to manage the transition to a democratic leadership(2012) .......................................................................................................................................................... 11Figure 7: Percentage of respondents selecting political unrest as main concern by governorate (2012) . 12Figure 8: Concern about political unrest and security situation evolution (2010 - 2012) .......................... 12Figure 9: Governorates with 20% of respondents considering security the main source of concern (2012) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13Figure 10: Percentage of respondents selecting security as main concern by governorate (2012) ........... 13Figure 11: Assessment of Yemen's current security situation (2010 / 2012) ............................................. 14Figure 12: Respondents selecting public services as source of main concern by gender (2012) ............... 14Figure 13: Percentage of respondents selecting public services as main concern by governorate (2012) 15Figure 14: Evolution of corruption seen as a source of concern (2010 - 2012) .......................................... 15Figure 15: Corruption as a main source of concern by gender (2010-2012) .............................................. 16Figure 16: Have you heard or read about human rights previously? (2009) .............................................. 17Figure 17: Percentage of respondents affirming to have heard or read about human rights bygovernorate (2009) ..................................................................................................................................... 18Figure 18: How would you rate your knowledge of human rights? (2009) ................................................ 18Figure 19: What comes to mind when hear the phrase human rights? (2009) .......................................... 19Figure 20: The most important human right is the right to: (2009) ............................................................ 20Figure 21: Most important human right by gender (2009) ......................................................................... 20

Figure 22: Second most important human right by gender (2009) ............................................................ 21Figure 23: Third most important human right by gender (2009) ................................................................ 21Figure 24: Have your or one of your relatives rights eve r been violated? (2009) ..................................... 22Figure 25: Have your rights or those of your relatives been abused? (by governorate, 2009) .................. 23Figure 26: Party people turned to in pursuit of justice (2009) .................................................................... 23Figure 27: If your rights were violated, were you able to successfully pursue justice? (2009) .................. 24Figure 28: Have you heard about the MoHR? ............................................................................................. 24Figure 29: Where did you hear of the MoHR? ............................................................................................ 24Figure 30: Thinking of how well the MoHR is doing, do you think the Ministry is doing: .......................... 25Figure 31: What is the MoHR's primary function? ...................................................................................... 25Figure 32: If you felt your rights were violated, how confident are you that CSOs would solve yourproblem? ..................................................................................................................................................... 27Figure 33: Definition of CSOs working on human rights issues by respondents: ........................................ 27Figure 34: Importance of CSOs .................................................................................................................... 28Figure 35: Reasons for considering CSOs unimportant ............................................................................... 28Figure 36: Evaluation of CSOs' effectiveness .............................................................................................. 29Figure 37: CSOs' freedom of activity ........................................................................................................... 29Figure 38: CSOs' sources of funding ............................................................................................................ 30Figure 39: Are you willing to participate in CSOs activities? ...................................................................... 30Figure 40: Degree of refusal to participate in: ............................................................................................ 31


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Figure 41: Would you volunteer for a CSO? ................................................................................................ 31Figure 42:. Does this house have a...? (n=1505) ......................................................................................... 32Figure 43: Do you have TV at home? (by governorate) .............................................................................. 33Figure 44: Do you have radio at home? (by governorate) .......................................................................... 33Figure 45: Does this house have a computer? (by governorate) ................................................................ 34Figure 46: Does this house have internet access? (by governorate) .......................................................... 34Figure 47: Does this house have a mobile phone? (by governorate) ......................................................... 35Figure 48: Do you have access to information from? (n=1505) ............................................................... 36Figure 49: Percentage of respondents with no access to sources of information by gender (n=1505) ..... 36Figure 50: What is the most important source of news for you? (n=1505) ................................................ 37Figure 51: Why is this the best source of news for you? (n=1505) ............................................................. 37Figure 52: What is the second most important source of news for you? (n=1505) ................................... 38Figure 53: What is the first most important source of news for you? (by gender (n=1505)) ..................... 38Figure 54: If no, would you like to have access to this source of information? .......................................... 39Figure 55: How often read newspapers and magazines? (n=1505) ............................................................ 39Figure 56: Are newspapers and magazines available for purchase in your area or in a market near your

area? (n=1505) ............................................................................................................................................ 40Figure 57: Where are newspapers available for purchase in your area? (n=482 ....................................... 40Figure 58: Why don't you read newspapers or magazines? (n=699) .......................................................... 41Figure 59: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by gender (n=482)) ....................... 41Figure 60: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by age (n=482)) ............................. 41Figure 61: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by education level (n=482)) .......... 42Figure 62: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by governorate (n=1505)) ............ 43Figure 63: Favorite newspaper or magazine (n=482).................................................................................. 44Figure 64: Second favorite newspaper or magazine (n=482) ..................................................................... 45Figure 65: Reasons why you read these newspapers more than others (n=482) ....................................... 46Figure 66: If you have a mobile phone, who is the provider? (n= 1505) .................................................... 46

Figure 67: Percentage of respondents stating having a mobile phone from the providers Sabafon, YemenMobile, and MTN by governorate (n=1505) ............................................................................................... 47Figure 68: How satisfied are you with the informati on you receive from? ............................................. 48Figure 69: Altogether, how would you rate your access to news relevant to your area (n=1505) ............ 49Figure 70: Altogether, how would you rate your access to news relevant to your area? (by governorate(n=1505)) ..................................................................................................................................................... 49


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BACKGROUND

The Yemen Polling Center is an independent non-governmental organization, which was established in2004 and received its registration certificate No. 147 from the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labor inDecember 2005. As the first and only polling center in Yemen, YPC prides itself on providing the highestquality in social science research. Furthermore, YPC is the 2010 recipient of the Best Partner in the MiddleEast and North Africa award from Gallup International. YPC designs and performs opinion polls, surveys,and employs other methods in studies which serve the research needs of national and internationalinstitutions, non-profit organizations, corporations, government agencies, and professional associations.

YPC conducts public attitude surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, demographic studies, andmarket research employing both quantitative and qualitative methods for development projects,international organizations and foundations, publications, business groups, banks, and other stake-holders. YPC was founded by a group of dedicated professional journalists, academics, researchers andvolunteers with strong ambitions to bring about progressive change in Yemen informed by social scienceof the highest international standards. As a member of both the World Association for Public OpinionResearch and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, YPC remains committed toexcellence in all aspects of social science.

YPC has a dedicated, well-experienced and qualified team. In addition, the Center cooperates withdozens of experts, consultants and university professors within Yemen and abroad when need be. Out ofthe more than 1,000 field researchers the Center has examined and trained, YPC has selected about 320enumerators throughout the country for its field research, fifty per cent of whom are female.

Our experience, as well as our personnel and technical resources allow us to conduct surveys of any sizethroughout all of Yemen's governorates, while adhering to the most stringent international standards indata quality and insuring cost effective, timely studies. Furthermore, Yemen is a religious and

conservative society in which male-female interactions are quite limited. As such, it is necessary to havefemale enumerators to conduct interviews with women respondents. Despite these challenges, YPC hassuccessfully implemented dozens of surveys for prominent national and international partners.

Since its inception YPC has conducted or is currently conducting dozens of qualitative and quantitativeresearch projects on a multitude of issues ranging from satellite television and radio consumptionpatterns and consumer attitudes, to human rights, women's rights, and political reform issues, tocorruption, public health, and other governance related studies, among others.

In addition to numerous successfully completed public opinion surveys and research projects, YPC hasimplemented several economic surveys and qualitative studies since its inception in 2004, covering allgovernorates in Yemen. YPC has surveyed nearly 100,000 Yemeni citizens by face-to-face interviews.

YPC has wide experience in implementing internationally-funded projects. It has cooperated and thus farconducted dozens of projects with numerous international institutions including the Center for Internationaland Private Enterprises (CIPE), Danicom (Media Consultancy Company), the European Union, the World Bank,United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Gallup International, Charney Research, InternationalFoundation for Election Systems (IFES), the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the National DemocraticInstitute for International Affairs (NDI), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Pan-ArabResearch Center (PARC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the ResearchInstitute (London), the University of Michigan, and the Ministry of Local Administration, among others.


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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

This informative report has been completed with the assistance of a grant provided by the EU through

the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. The report, produced by the Yemen PollingCenter (YPC) within the framework of the EU-funded project Civil Society Forum , aims at offering anoverall picture of the interests and priorities of Yemens citizens, as well as their views and opinions on anumber of topics.

The report is based on the findings of nation-wide surveys previously implemented by YPC during thethree-year period 2010-2012.

The Yemeni Citizens Main Concerns, Perception of Human Rights and CSOs report is divided in foursections:

- The first section of the report identifies Yemens citizens' main source s of concerns. It analyses

the evolution of such concerns throughout the 2010-2012 period as well changes in theperception of these concerns in the mind of Yemens population. The following sources ofinformation were used in this section: Survey on Yemeni Political and Economic Issues (USDepartment, 2010), Public Opinion on Development Survey ("Youth Survey", 2011) about politicalissues and a Post-Presidential Elections Survey on electoral and political issues (IFES, 2012).

- The second section of the report assesses the Yemeni population s awareness of human rightsissues. It analyses the degree of knowledge Yemeni citizens have about human rights, the mostvalued human rights in Yemen, how human right violations are perceived, as well as how Yemenicitizens see the Ministry of Human Rights and its role. The information used in this section comesfrom the Human Rights Awareness Survey (2010) carried out at the request of UNDP, UNFPA andYemens Ministry of Human Rights.

- The third section focuses on opinion trends towards civil society organizations. It analysesYemeni citizens' knowledge and understanding of CSOs, how these organizations are perceivedin terms of importance for the country, as well as Yemeni citizens' willingness to participate inactivities and events organized by CSOs or to volunteer with them. For this section, data fromthe MEPI-funded Public Opinion Survey on the Presence of Human Rights Organizations in theSociety (2009) was used.

- Finally, the fourth section identifies the general media trends in Yemen. To know the mainsources of information used in the country is essential if one wants to reach Yemens citizens.The information obtained in the Open Society Institute funded project Strengthening

Independent Media in Yemen (2012) was used in this section.


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1. YEMENS CITIZENS MAJOR CONCERNS1

The current economic situation is by far Yemeni citizens greatest concern. The weak economicenvironment, including high rates of poverty, unemployment, and high prices, was selected by themajority of Yemenis interviewed in 2012 (54.3% of respondents) as the main source of concern in Yemenand has been consistently so since 2010.

Following the economic situation, the political crisis was identified as second source of concern (9.2% ofrespondents), closely followed by the current security situation (8.9%) and the provision of publicservices (8.6%) in 2012. Preoccupation with corruption has steadily been decreasing since 2010.

1 The data presented in this section, the data was based on the following surveys: The 2010 Yemeni Political and EconomicIssues Survey ; the 2012 Post-Presidential Elections Survey , which targeted a sample of 2,000 households in 19 selectedgovernorates; and the 2011 Public Opinion on Development Survey , which included 1,100 interviews (800 from householdsand 300 from youth squares) in 13 selected governorates.

The main sources of concern for Yemenis are, in the following order: the economic situation,the political crisis, the security situation, the provision of public services and corruption.

The economic situation is by far the greatest concern of Yemeni citizens, in a recurrentpattern since 2010. Moreover, the perception of the countrys economic situation continuesto deteriorate.

The political unrest is the second main source of concern in Yemen. The political unrestbecame a significant source of concern in 2011 but has started to decrease in 2012. Thisdecrease is reinforced by the respondents high degree of confidence in the ca retakergovernment.

The security situation was the third source of concern in Yemen in 2012. A similar percentage

of respondents selected security as the main source of concern in 2010 and 2011. Thus, thereis no direct link between the concern for security situation and the political unrest. Securityconcerns are higher in the southeastern coast of Yemen.

The provision of public services (water, electricity, roads) is the fourth source of concernamong Yemenis. Importantly, approximately 3/4ths of the respondents selecting theprovision of public services as a main source of concern were women.

Corruption was the fifth source of concern in Yemen in 2012 and is the only main source ofconcern in Yemen which has steadily decreased since 2010. 2/3rds of respondents selectingcorruption as a main source of concern were men.


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Figure 1: Yemeni citizens' main concerns I (2010-2012)

Economic Situation

The economy has been and continues to be the main priority for Yemenis since the last two years. In

2012, 54.3% of respondents selected economic problems, including poverty, unemployment, and highprices, as the greatest problem faced by Yemen. The economy had also ranked first in the previous years,with very similar percentages (50.5% in 2011 and 52.7% in 2010). The economy was ranked highly abovethe other given options, all of which were below 10% in 1012.

Figure 2: Yemeni citizens' main concerns II (2010-2012)

0

20

40

60

2010 2011 2012

Economy

Political unrest

Security situation

Public services

Corruption

52.7

50.5

54.3

1.6

12.5

9.2

6.9

9.5

8.9

7.9

5.1

8.6

10.4

10

6.8

20.5

12.4

20.8

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2010

2011

2012

Economy Political unrest Security situation Public services Corruption Others


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Additionally, the perception of the countrys economic situation among Yemeni citizens is deteri orating.In 2010, a majority of respondents (50.7%) described it as somewhat poor and only a quarter ofrespondents (25.5%) stated it was very poor. In 2012, this percentage has not only increased butinverted, with 29.1% of the interviewees qualifying the economic situation as somewhat poor, and anoutstanding majority of interviewees (59.3%) as very poor.

Figure 3: Perception of Yemen's economic situation (2010 / 2012)

Rayma (78% of respondents), Ta'iz (74.9%), al-Hudeyda (74.4%), and Sanaa City (62.5%) were thegovernorates where people were most concerned about the economic situation.

Figure 4: The economy as a main problem by governorate

0.7

1

19

8.2

50.7

29.1

25.5

59.3

4.2

2.6

2010

2012

Very good Somewhat good Somewhat poor Very poor Dont know

IbbAbyan

Sana'a City

al-Baydha

Taiz

al-JawfHajja

Marib

al-Mahweet

Amranal-Dhali'

Rayma

al-Hudaida

Hadhramawt

Dhamar

Sa'daSana'a

AdenLahj


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Political Unrest

In 2010, the government was seen as a topic of concern by only 1.6% of respondents. In 2011, as a resultof the uprising experienced in the country, political unrest became the second greatest concern amongYemeni citizens (12.5%). The political crisis continued to be the second main concern in 2012 (9.2%),although the percentage has started to decrease.

Figure 5: Evolution of political unrest as a source of concern (2010 - 2012)

Reinforcing this decreasing trend, 28% of respondents stated having a great deal of confidence in thecaretaker government to manage the transition and 36% had a fair amount of confidence. Only 18% ofthe interviewees said they did not have very much confidence in it or none at all.

Figure 6: Confidence in caretaker government to manage the transition to a democratic leadership (2012)

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

2010 2011 2012

Political unrest

28%

36%

10%

8%

18%

0%

A great deal A fair amount Not very much

Not at all Dont know No answer


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Al-Mahweet (29.4%), Marib (29.2%), Lahj (22.7%), and al-Baydha' (20%) were the governorates the mostconcerned by the political unrest.

Figure 7: Percentage of respondents selecting political unrest as main concern by governorate (2012)

Security Situation

Security ranked as the third main source of concern in 2012. 8.9% of respondents considered thesecurity situation the main problem currently faced by Yemen.

9.5% of respondents chose this answer in 2010. Thus, there is no direct link between the concern for thesecurity situation and that for political unrest. As shown above, concern in regard to the political unrestsoared in 2011 whereas the percentage of security as source of concern has been steady before andafter the political unrest of 2011.

Figure 8: Concern about political unrest and security situation evolution (2010 - 2012)

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

2010 2011 2012

Political unrest

Security Situation


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However, governorates with a higher concern for security are noteworthy. The percentage ofrespondents selecting security as a main source of concern is significantly higher in the governorates onthe southeastern coast of Yemen (i.e. Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Shabwa 2, and Hadhramawt), as well as in Marib.

Figure 9: Governorates with 20% of respondents considering security the main source of concern (2012)3

37.8% of respondents in Abyan, 35.5% in Aden, 33.3% in Hadhramawt, and 20% in Lahj selected securityas their main concern in 2012 (41.2% in Shabwa in 2010). Thus, there is a geographic concentration interms of security concerns on Yemeni territory along the southeastern coastline of the country.

Figure 10: Percentage of respondents selecting security as main concern by governorate (2012)

2 Data of Shabwa governorate is from 2010.3 Data of Shabwa governorate is from 2010.

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%


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The worsening perception of the security situation in Yemen is also highly remarkable. As shown above,the percentage of respondents selecting security as main concern slightly decreased in 2012. However,the perception of the security situation as good has plummeted since 2010.

In 2010, a majority of respondents (51%) considered the security situation as somewhat good, 29% assomewhat poor and 9% as very poor. In 2012, the trend had completely changed, with 42% ofrespondents considering the security situation as very poor and 38% as somewhat poor.

Figure 11: Assessment of Yemen's current security situation (2010 / 2012)

Public Services

The lack of provision of public services (i.e. electricity, water, and roads) ranked as the fourth mainsource of concern faced by Yemenis in 2012 (main source of concern for 8.6% of respondents). In 2012,this percentage increased in comparison with the previous two years (5.9% in 2011 and 7.9% in 2010).

Women are significantly more concerned about the provision of public services than men. Almost three

quarters of the respondents (73.8%) who selected public services as a main issue of concern werewomen versus 26% of male respondents.

Figure 12: Respondents selecting public services as source of main concern by gender (2012)

By governorates, the respondents of Dhamar (29.5%), Abyan (26.7%), al-Mahweet (13.7%), and Ibb(13.6%) are the most concerned about the provision of public services.

8%

2%

51%

15%

29%

38%

9%

42%

3%

3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2010

2012

Very good Somewhat good Somewhat poor Very Poor Don't know

Male26%

Female74%


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Figure 13: Percentage of respondents selecting public services as main concern by governorate (2012)

Corruption

Corruption is the only main source of concern for Yemenis which has gradually been decreasing. In 2010,it ranked second, with 10.4% of respondents stating it as a main source of concern. In 2012, it rankedfifth, with a percentage of 6.8%.

Figure 14: Evolution of corruption seen as a source of concern (2010 - 2012)

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

2010 2011 2012

Corruption


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As in the previous case of the provision of public services, gender is an important factor when analyzingcorruption as a source of concern. Men are significantly more concerned by corruption than women,with approximately 2/3rds of male respondents selecting corruption as a main source of concern versus1/3 of female respondents, a recurrent trend over the three-year period.

Figure 15: Corruption as a main source of concern by gender (2010-2012)

64.4%

74.5%65.4%

35.6%

25.5%34.6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2010

2011

2012

Male Female


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2. HUMAN RIGHTSAWARENESS AMONG YEMENI CITIZENS4

Knowledge of Human Rights

There is a general lack of knowledge on human rights in Yemeni society. Almost half of respondents hadnever heard about human rights (46.6%). Men are more likely than women to have heard about them(65.9% of male respondents vs. 40.8% of female ones).

Figure 16: Have you heard or read about human rights previously? (2009)

4 In this section, the source of the data is a UNDP-funded survey on the general perception of human rights awareness during2009 for 2,498 households in 20 governorates, age groups 18+ ( 50% female, 50% male).

40.8

65.9

53.4

59.2

34.1

46.6

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Women

Men

Average

Yes No

There is a general lack of knowledge on human rights in Yemeni society, with almost half ofrespondents not having heard of human rights.

The right to education is considered by Yemeni citizens the most important human right(23.8% of those respondents having heard or read about human rights), particularly bywomen.

Over 78 % of the surveyed said that neither their own nor their relatives rights had beenviolated despite belonging to governorates that suffer from a shortage in public services or

from security problems. More than half of those who said their rights had been abusedresorted to state authorities (judiciary, police, etc.) to demand justice.

A large number of respondents have heard about the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR).However, 3 of every 10 did not know its function.


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There are important geographical disparities in the number of respondents having heard or read abouthuman rights. Shabwa (23.9% of respondents having heard or read about human rights), Rayma (32.9%),Amran (33%) and al-Baydha' are governorates with a lower degree of knowledge on human rights, withless than 35% of the population stating that they have heard or read about these before. By contrast,more than 75% of respondents had heard about human rights in Aden (76.1%), Abyan (80.3%) and Lahj(84.1%).

Figure 17: Percentage of respondents affirming to have heard or read about human rights by governorate (2009)

Additionally, of those respondents who had previously heard or read about human rights, only 6%considered their knowledge as high, while nearly 40% considered it as low.

Figure 18: How would you rate your knowledge of human rights? (2009)

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

6%

50%

39%

5%

High Moderate Low I dont know anything


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When ask to describe what 'human rights' mean, 28.2% of respondents related human rights to justice,followed by issues related to freedom of expression (23.2%), democracy (22.1%) and equality (22.1%).

Figure 19: What comes to mind when hear the phrase human rights? (2009)

Primary Human Rights

The right to education is considered the most important human right by Yemenis (23.8% of respondentshaving heard or read about human rights), followed by the right to an adequate standard of living (10.9%)and the right to freedom of thought and expression (8%).

All or most of theabove19%

Freedom of

Expression16%

Democracy15%

Equality14%

Right toEducation

9%

Security8%

I do not care6%

The right to work6%

I haven't heard ofany of these before

5%

Other2%


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Figure 20: The most important human right is the right to: (2009)

Although male and female respondents agreed on what they considered the most important humanright, women were a great deal more concerned with the right to education, with 34.5% of womenstating it as a primary human right.

Figure 21: Most important human right by gender (2009)

This result is highly significant if taking into account the percentage of illiterate female respondents(50.4%), which is much higher than the average (32.7%). In contrast, the survey found out that womenrespondents did not rate womens right s in general as highly as others.

23.8

10.9

85.9 5.3

3.9 3.8 3.4 2.9 2.6 2.3 1.7 1.7 1.3 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.20

5

10

15

20

25

8.0%

10.9%

23.8%

9.5%

12.6%

17.0%

5.5%

8.0%

34.5%

Right to Freedom of Thought and Expression

Right to Adequate Standard of Living

Right to Education

Female Male Average


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When asked to state the second most important human right, respondents selected (apart from the rightto education): the right to work (8.7%) and the right to healthcare (9.3%). As in the case of the right toeducation, the selection of the right to work was significantly higher among female respondents, with12.5% of female respondents choosing it as compared to 6.3% of male respondents. Right to healthcarerated similarly important for both genders.

Figure 22: Second most important human right by gender (2009)

A majority of male (50.1%) and female (44.9%) respondents were unable to name a third importanthuman right. The respondents reiterated the rights to education, work, and healthcare as the mostimportant human rights for them. This exemplifies the problem of public human rights awareness and alack of understanding of the concept of human rights in Yemeni society.

Figure 23: Third most important human right by gender (2009)

12.8%

8.7%

9.3%

20.3%

12.2%

6.3%

9.1%

19.6%

13.1%

12.5%

9.6%

23.3%

Right to Education

Right to Work

Right to Healthcare Services

I don't know

Female Male Average

6.0%

2.7%

6.8%

50.1%

5.9%

6.5%

7.6%

44.9%

Right to Education

Right to Work

Right to Healthcare Services

I don't know

Female Male


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Violation of Human Rights

People's awareness of human rights is blurry and when asked whether their rights had ever beenviolated, over 78 % of the surveyed said that neither their own nor their relatives rights had beeninfringed despite the fact that most of them lived in governorates that suffer from a shortage in publicservices, poor infrastructure, and/or security problems. Only 21.5% stated that such a thing had occurredto them or one of their relatives.

Figure 24: Have your or one of your relatives rights ever been violated? (2009)

Results indicate a relative difference in rights awareness between urban and rural areas as aconsequence of the extent of exposure to media, promotional campaigns and the higher level ofeducation. Most of those who stated that their rights or that one of their relatives' rights had been

abused (35.5 %) were from Sanaa c ity, followed by 31.7% in the governorate of Aden and 28% in Ibb.Thus, those living in the main governorates, with more and better services, public departments, hospitals,schools, infrastructure, public services and NGOs, and saying that their own or one of their relatives'rights have been abused outnumbered those who are less privileged and live in governorates withpolitical, security, economic, infrastructural, and educational problems, etc.

The level of awareness of human rights in rural areas is poorer than in urban areas. For example, despitethe fact that the war in Sa'da was recurrent for six years, only 13.2% of this governorates respondentsstated that their own or one of their relatives' rights had been abused.

27.5%

72.5%

15.5%

84.5%

21.5%

78.5%

Yes No

Male Female Average


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23

Figure 25: Have your rights or those of your relatives been abused? (by governorate, 2009)

More than half of those who said their rights had been infringed resorted to state authorities (judiciary,police, etc.) to demand justice. More women than men chose to resort to these authorities. About 33.5%of the abused people opted for traditional means of arbitration (sheikhs of the tribe, chief of the area,tribe, etc.) and only few directed their complaints to religious scholars and friends (3.3% respectively).About 6.5% (especially women) said they did not pursue the issue themselves; rather, they left thematter of demanding justice to men and elder members of the family.

Figure 26: Party people turned to in pursuit of justice (2009)

Answer Average Female MaleAuthorities 54.0 55.8 52.9Sheikhs/head of area/tribe 33.5 31.2 34.7Religious scholars 3.3 5.2 2.2Friends 3.3 3.9 2.9I leave it to family senior members 6.5 10.4 4.3The party I belong to 0.9 0.0 1.4Human rights organizations 0.9 0.0 1.4

Media 0.9 0.0 1.4I wait until the problem solves itself 4.2 3.9 4.3I don't know 0.5 0.0 0.7No comment 0.5 0.0 0.7

Only 29.3% of the surveyed, whose rights had been abused, stated that they had been successful in theirpursuit of justice. 33.5% of them said they had not had any of their rights restored and that they hadabandoned demands for them.

35.5% 31.7% 28.0% 22.5% 20.0% 20.0% 16.7% 14.3% 13.6% 13.2%3.8%

64.5% 68.3% 72.0% 77.5% 80.0% 80.0% 83.3% 85.7% 86.4% 86.8%96.2%

Yes No


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24

Ministry of Human Rights

A significant amount of respondents (44.6%) have heard about the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR).

Figure 28: Have you heard about the MoHR?

Of those respondents, who had heard about the MoHR, the majority had done so on TV (59%), followedby radio (20%), and newspapers or magazines (14%).

Figure 29: Where did you hear of the MoHR?

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0%

Yes No

Answer Male Female TotalI had them back in full 30.4 27.3 29.3I had part of them back 26.1 27.3 26.5I had none back 33.3 33.8 33.5

Not yet 10.1 11.7 10.7

Figure 27: If your rights were violated, were you able to successfully pursue justice? (2009)

59%

1%

20%

14%

2%

1%

3%

TV Internet Radio Newspaper/Magazine

Qat Chewing Session Social Gathering Family/friends


25/50

25

However, only 0.2% of respondents have ever participated in MoHR activities, while 99.8% answeredthat they hadn't. Regarding the level of satisfaction with the MoHRs work, 35.1% of the respondentsaware of the MoHR stated they thought the MoHR was doing a satisfactory job. However, a significant62.7% said that they not able to assess its performance.

Figure 30: Thinking of how well the MoHR is doing, do you think the Ministry is doing:

This lack of knowledge of the Ministrys job and performance could also be observed when respondentswere asked about the MoHRs primary function. 37.2% stated that they did not know the function of theMoHR. 14.5% believed it to be responsible for the defense of human rights, 8.8% that it offers publicservices to the citizens, 8.6% that it advocates for oppressed people, and 7.1% that it aims to attractattention to the condition of prisoners.

Figure 31: What is the MoHR's primary function?

18%

35%20%

27%

A good job A satisfactory job Not that good a job I dont know

37%

14%9%

9%

24%

7%

I don't know To defend human rights

To advocate for oppressed people To offer public services

Other answers not reaching 5% Condition of prisoners


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26

3. YEMENS CITIZENS PERCEPTION OFCIVILSOCIETYORGANIZATIONS5

Knowledge and understanding of CSOs

The general level of knowledge of CSOs 6 among Yemeni citizens is very low, with approximately onequarter (26.5%) of respondents affirming to know CSOs or to know something about them, with similarlevels of knowledge between male (31.7%) and female respondents (21.3%). However, when askedabout how confident respondents were that CSOs could help to solve problems such as human rightsviolations, 52% answered that they wouldn't know which institution to turn to. Thus, there is awidespread lack of knowledge of CSOs.

5 The data presented in this section is drawn from a MEPI-funded public opinion survey about the presence of human rightsorganizations in society in 2009 for a sample of 1,000 households in 11 governorates, age groups 18+ (50.2% male, 49.8% female).

6 Note that the study focus was on CSOs working on human rights issues.

Generally, there is a lack of knowledge on CSOs among Yemeni citizens.

Among those knowledgeable about CSOs, the majority consider CSOs important for Yemen.Among those who consider CSOs unimportant for Yemen, the main reasons for thisperception are (1) they cannot see the CSOs services and (2) the CSOs are only a means toobtain money from foreign institutions.

The majority of respondents knowledgeable about CSOs consider them effectiveorganizations.

There is the general perception that CSOs in Yemen can operate freely or rather freely.

Approximately 50% of respondents believe CSOs funding comes from foreign donororganizations.

Yemeni citizens are willing to involve themselves in CSOs activities. However, certain types ofactivities are less appealing, including activities on gender equality, sit-ins to demandamendments to laws concerning human rights and activities on political rights and elections.

Whereas 27% of respondents would agree to volunteer in a CSO, 21% would definitely rejectdoing so.


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27

Figure 32: If you felt your rights were violated, how confident are you that CSOs would solve your problem?

Regarding the understanding of CSOs among citizens, almost half of respondents knowledgeable aboutCSOs (46%) defined CSOs working on human rights issues as independent entities that are concernedwith human rights and fundamental freedoms, followed by organizations advocating the rights of theoppressed (20% of responses).

Figure 33: Definition of CSOs working on human rights issues by respondents:

Definition Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)Independent entities that are concerned with human rightsand fundamental freedoms

47.2 44.3 46.0

Organizations advocating the rights of the oppressed 18.2 22.6 20.0Belong to the government 7.5 13.2 9.8

Independent institutions that are interested in politics 6.3 5.7 6.0Institutions belonging to the West 5.0 7.5 6.0I hear and I dont care 6.3 2.8 4.9Belong to the opposition 6.3 0.0 3.8Provide financial support to the people 2.5 2.8 2.6Other 0.6 0.9 0.8

20%

6%

6%

52%

16%

Very confident

Somewhat confident

Not confident

Dont know theinstitution

Dont know


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28

Perception of CSOs' Importance and Performance

Over 80% of the respondents knowledgeable about CSOs believe that these organizations are importantin Yemen, 13.2% believe they are relatively important, and 5.7% believe they are not important.

Figure 34: Importance of CSOs

Among those who believed CSOs are not important, the main reasons given were that they did not seetheir services (39.2%), that such organizations are merely a means to obtain money from foreigninstitutions (31.4%), or that they considered CSOs as inactive and inefficient. Whereas women were theones complaining more about not receiving their services, men deemed CSOs unimportant due to theirlack of efficiency or for being considered as a way of obtaining funds from abroad.

Figure 35: Reasons for considering CSOs unimportant

Reason Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)I dont see their services 25.0 56.5 39.2They are just means to obtaining money from abroad 39.3 21.7 31.4Inactive and ineffective 28.6 17.4 23.5Belong to foreign bodies 21.4 13.0 17.6Adopt ideas that contradict Islam 21.4 4.3 13.7Oppose customs and traditions 14.3 8.7 11.8Belong to the government and do nothing 7.1 13.0 9.8Adopt issues that are of no interest to the public 10.7 8.7 9.8Belong to the opposition 10.7 0.0 5.9I dont need them 7.1 0.0 3.9I dont know 3.6 0.0 2.0

81%

13%

6% 0%

Important

Relatively important

Not important

Dont know


29/50


30/50

30

CSOs' sources of funding

Regarding CSOs' sources of funding, approximately 50% of respondents believed that CSOs' fundingcomes from foreign donor organizations. Other mentioned sources of funding were subscriptions ofmembers or revenues from the organizations' activities (14%), governmental funding (13.2%), donations(12.1%), or the wealth of the CSOs' heads (10.2%).

Figure 38: CSOs' sources of funding

Willingness of Involvement among Yemens C itizens

Generally, Yemeni citizens are willing to get involved in CSOs' social activities, with 60.9% of respondentsstating they are ready to participate and 17.3% saying they might do it. Men are more inclined toparticipate in CSOs' activities than women.

Figure 39: Are you willing to participate in CSOs activities?

1%

6%

10%

12%

13%

14%

44%

Other

Dont know

Wealth of CSOs' heads

Donations

Governmental funding

Subscriptions / Activities

Donor organizations/foreign countries

69.7%

52.0%

60.9%

16.5%

18.1%

17.3%

12.5%

27.7%

20.1%

1.2%

2.2%

1.7%

Male

Female

Average

Yes I might participate No I don't know


31/50

31

The activities which created a greater degree of reluctance to participate in were activities on genderequality (75.2% respondents who said they would not or might only participate in some activities saidthey would never participate in respective awareness campaigns), sit-ins to demand amendments tolaws concerning human rights (64.2%) and activities on political rights and elections (63.9%)

Figure 40: Degree of refusal to participate in:

Regarding Yemeni citizens' willingness to volunteer with CSOs, answers of respondents were highly

divided, with 31.9% of respondents affirming they would agree only if they were convinced by the idea;followed by 27.3% of respondents agreeing to participate and 20.8% definitely rejecting to do so.

Figure 41: Would you volunteer for a CSO?

7 5 . 2

%

6 4 . 2

%

6 3 . 9 %

5 8 . 8

%

4 9 . 9 %

4 4 . 8

%

3 5 . 5 %

7 9 . 6

%

5 0 . 7

%

4 3 . 4

%

4 1 . 4 %

6 3 . 2

%

2 6 . 3

%

2 6 . 3

%

7 2 . 4

%

7 2 . 8

%

7 7 . 0

%

6 9 . 9

%

4 1 . 4 % 5

6 . 5

%

4 1 . 4 %

A c t i v i t i e s o n g e n d e r

e q u a l i t y

S i t - i n s t o

d e m a n

d

a m e n

d m e n t s t o

l a w s o n

h u m a n r i g h t s

A c t i v i t i e s o n p o

l i t i c a l

r i g h t s

/ e l e c t i o n s

D e m o n s t r a t i o n s i n

s u p p o r t o

f p e o p

l e

w h o s e r i g h t s w e r e

a b u s e

d

T r a i n i n g o n w o m e n

' s

r i g h t s

A w a r e n e s s c a m p a i g n

s

A c t i v i t i e s o n c h i l d r i g h t s

27%

18%32%

21%

2%I agree

I agree, if I have time

I agree if I'm convinced of the idea

I defnitely rejectparticipation

I don't know


32/50

32

4. Reaching Yemeni Citizens: Yemen s Population Access to Media 7

General Media access

TV has the broadest presence in the country, with 88.8% of respondents stating they have a TV set athome.

Figure 42:. Does this house have a...? (n=1505)

7 The source of data presented in this section is the Open Society Institute funded project StrengtheningIndependent Media in Yemen, which included 1,505 face-to-face interviews carried out in March 2011 and coveredall governorates. A multi-stage stratified sample was designed for selecting the targeted regions, households andrespondents inside the targeted household, and in each stage the selection was random. However, somelimitations were taken in the first two stages of designing the sample to serve the goals of the study, as follows:

- When selecting the regions, regions with less than 3,000 inhabitants were excluded.- In the respondents' selection stage, illiterate respondents were excluded as the study focus was on print

media and sought to study the consumption habits, interests and needs of the potential reader.

6.6%

21.9%

36.7%

53.0%

88.5%

88.8%

92.4%

77.6%

63.3%

47.0%

11.4%

11.2%

Internet

Computer

Landline Phone

Radio

Mobile Phone

TV

Yes No

TV sets have the largest presence in the country. Mobile phones are also widespread.

Television is the most common source of information respondents have access to, followedby friends and family.

Television is by far the most important source of news, followed by radio.

Lack of access to print newspapers is the most commonly stated answer for not readingthem.

Only 6.6% of respondents have internet in their house.


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33

The only governorates with less than two thirds of respondents having TV at home are al-Jawf (50%),Rayma (52.2%) and Hajja (62.9%).

Figure 43: Do you have TV at home? (by governorate)

Access to radio is quite common, with more than half of respondents having a radio at home. Thepercentage of respondents having a radio home is particularly high in Sanaa (82.8%), Rayma (82.5%),

Hadhramawt (78.4%) and Sada (76%). By contrast, it is significantly low in Abyan (12.5%), al-Mahra (25%)and Marib (27.5%).

Figure 44: Do you have radio at home? (by governorate)

.0%10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

a l - J

a w f

R a y m a

H a j j a

A m r a n

a l - H

u d e i

d a

M a r i b

S a ' d a

a l - M

a h r a

T a i z

H a d

h r a m a w t

a l - D

h a l i '

A d e n I b

b

D h a m a r

S h a b w a

a l - B

a y d h a '

S a n a ' a C i t y

S a n a ' a

A b y a n

L a h j

a l - M

a h w e e t

No

Yes

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

S a n a ' a

R a y m a

H a d

h r a m a w t

S a ' d a

a l - J

a w f

S a n a ' a C i t y

a l - M

a h w e e t

a l - D

h a l i '

D h a m a r

L a h j

A m r a n

H a j j a

a l - H

u d e i

d a

a l - B

a y d h a '

T a i z

I b b

A d e n

S h a b w a

M a r i b

a l - M

a h r a

A b y a n

I don't know

No

Yes


34/50

34

Only one fifth of respondents have a computer at home. This average decreases when asking aboutinternet access at home, with only 6.6% of respondents answering this question positively.

If compared to the national average, the percentage of respondents having a computer home isremarkably high in Aden (62.8%) and particularly low in Abyan and al-Jawf (5% in each governorate). Thesame trend applies when inquiring about internet access at home, with 23.3% of respondents in Adenanswering positively in a much higher average than the national wide (6.6%).

Figure 45: Does this house have a computer? (by governorate)

Figure 46: Does this house have internet access? (by governorate)

.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%

50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

A d e n

S a n a ' a C i t y

a l - D

h a l i '

M a r i b

H a d

h r a m a w t

a l - B

a y d h a '

T a i z

I b b

S h a b w a

a l - H

u d e i

d a

S a ' d a

a l - M

a h r a

D h a m a r

a l - M

a h w e e t

R a y m a

A m r a n

L a h j

S a n a ' a

H a j j a

A b y a n

a l - J

a w f

Refused to answer

I don't know

No

Yes

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

A d e n

a l - D

h a l i '

S a n a ' a C i t y

S h a b w a

a l - B

a y d h a '

M a r i b

T a i z

I b b

S a ' d a

H a d

h r a m a w t

a l - H

u d e i

d a

A m r a n

D h a m a r

L a h j

H a j j a

a l - M

a h r a

A b y a n

a l - J

a w f

S a n a ' a

a l - M

a h w e e t

R a y m a

Refused to answer

I don't know

No

Yes


35/50

35

Mobile phones are highly widespread, with 88.5% of respondents owning a mobile phone. The onlygovernorates where mobile phones are not broadly used are al-Mahra (40% of respondents not havingmobile phone at home), Abyan (25%), al-Jawf (25%) and Hadhramawt (24.3%).

Figure 47: Does this house have a mobile phone? (by governorate)

Thus, TV sets and mobile phones are the two tools which could be used in order to reach a large numberof people nationwide.

Access to Sources of News

Television is the most common source of information respondents have access to (92 percent ofrespondents), followed by friends and family (85 percent). Only 54 percent of respondents have accessto print media and 11 percent to online newspapers (11 percent).

Even though the percentage of respondents reading online newspapers might be considered low, it issignificant. As seen before, only 6.6 percent of respondents have internet in their houses but the number

of respondents accessing online newspapers rises to 11 percent. Thus, respondents access to onlinenewspapers from places such internet cafes outside home.

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

a l - M

a h r a

A b y a n

a l - J

a w f

H a d

h r a m a w t

a l - H

u d e i

d a

I b b

S h a b w a

S a n a ' a

L a h j

D h a m a r

S a ' d a

M a r i b

T a i z

a l - D

h a l i '

A d e n

H a j j a

A m r a n

S a n a ' a C i t y

a l - M

a h w e e t

R a y m a

a l - B

a y d h a '

I don't know

No

Yes


36/50

36

Figure 48 : Do you have access to information from? (n=1505)

In general, female respondents have a more limited access to all potential sources of information exceptradio. The difference in access between male and female respondents is particularly acute wheninquiring about print newspapers (36.6% of male respondents with no access to print newspapers vs.56.7% of female respondents)and religious leaders (45.5% of male respondents vs. 76.5% of femalerespondents).

Figure 49: Percentage of respondents with no access to sources of information by gender (n=1505) 8

8 The percentage of female respondents not having access to information from qat chewing sessions is high.However, women do obtain information from other informal social gatherings which serve a similar function.

92

85

54

51

42

39

22

18

11

11

7

8

15

46

49

58

61

78

82

89

89

93

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

TV

Friends and family

Print newspapers

Qat chews

Radio

Religious leaders / mosque

SMS

Other community leaders

Online newspapers

Tribal shaykhs

CDs / cassettes

Yes

No

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

Male

Female

Average


37/50

37

Due to the broad access to TV (present in the house of 88.8% respondents), when asked about the mostimportant source of news TV is selected by a large majority of respondents (82.8%), followed by radio(6.9%). Less than 2 percent of interviewees state that print newspapers are the most important source ofinformation to them.

Figure 50: What is the most important source of news for you? (n=1505)

The main reason of this choice is a pragmatic one, with 35.5% of respondents stating they prefer this

media outlet because it is the only one available to them. Receiving live and continuous news is thesecond reason given by respondents for choosing TV as their most important source of news.

Figure 51: Why is this the best source of news for you? (n=1505)

.2

.4

.6

.71.0

1.0

1.3

1.6

3.6

6.9

82.8

Tribal Sheikhs

Religious/ Mosque leaders

SMS

Online NewspapersOther community leader

Don't know

Qat chewing sessions

Print Newspapers

Family and friends

Radio

TV

35.5%

18.9%13.5%

13.2%

12.4%

6.4%

It is the available source I have Live and continous news

Don't know News with sound and image

Others Trustworthy information


38/50

38

When asked about the second most important source of news, radio (20.5%) and print newspapers(17.8%) fare better, but friends and family (23.2%) is still more commonly mentioned.

Figure 52: What is the second most important source of news for you? (n=1505)

There are no significant differences by gender with regard to the most important source of information.

Figure 53: What is the f irst most important source of news for you? (by gender (n=1505))

.1

.3

1.2

1.3

2.1

2.9

3.7

5.0

10.7

11.2

17.8

20.5

23.2

CDs / cassettes

Refused


Tribal shaykhs

Religious leaders / mosques

Online newspapers

SMS

TV

Qat chews

Don't know

Print newspapers

Radio

Friends and family

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

Tribal shaykhs

Religious leaders /

SMS

Online newspapers

Don't know


Qat chews

Print newspapers

Family and friends

Radio

TV

Female Male Average


39/50

39

Of the respondents stating they do not have access to a specific source of information, TV is the onlysource a majority of these respondents would like to have access to. Also significant is the percentage ofrespondents with limited access to print newspapers who would like to access them (39.3%), who wouldlike to have access to online newspapers (31.8%) and who would like to have access to radio (31.3%).

By contrast, 84.2% of respondents not receiving information from tribal shaykhs and 84% of respondentsnot receiving information from qat chewing sessions do not want to receive information from thesesources.

Figure 54: If no, would you like to have access to this source of information?

Print Newspapers

Few Yemenis read print media and even fewer do so on a regular basis. One-third of respondents havenever read a newspaper or magazine and just over a third read print media about once a month (35percent).

Figure 55: How often read newspapers and magazines? (n=1505)

78.8%

39.3%

31.8%

31.3%

28.5%

27.2%

21.6%

17.1%

11.7%

9.6%

15.3%

54.4%

60.0%

63.7%

66.2%

66.8%

67.4%

75.2%

84.2%

84.0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

TV (n= 118)

Print newspapers (n= 699)

Online newspapers (n= 1333)

Radio (n=865)

Religious leaders / mosques (n= 904)

SMS (n= 1179)

Friends and family (n=227)

CDs / cassettes (n=1402)

Tribal shaykhs (n= 1333)

Qat chews (n=739)

Yes

No

I dont know

Refused to answer

5.5 9.1

7.3

10.0

34.7

33.3

Everyday

Several times each week

Once a week

A few times a month

Once a month


40/50

40

The reason for the low percentage of print media consumption in Yemen may be due to the limitedaccess to newspapers. Nearly half of respondents state they cannot purchase a newspaper or magazinein their area or at a market near their area (48 percent).

Figure 56: Are newspapers and magazines available for purchase in your area or in a market near your area? (n=1505)

Among the respondents who read print media more than once a month (n=482), a majority cannotpurchase them from street sellers, music stores, fruit/vegetable markets, or grocery stores, all of whichare potential venues to sell newspapers and magazines. 46 percent say newspapers are not sold atnearby kiosks and 30 percent say they are not sold at nearby bookstores.

Figure 57: Where are newspapers available for purchase in your area? (n=482

45.5

48.4

6.0

Yes

No

Don't know

24

28

64

4

29

47

69

65

30

89

64

46

7

7

7

7

7

7

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Grocery store

Fruit/vegetable market

Bookstore

Music store

Street seller

Kiosk

Yes

No


41/50

41

Indeed, the most common reason why people don't read newspapers or magazines is because these arenot available in their areas (31.8%), followed by those who state other media are better (20 percent),and those who say they don't have enough time (18 percent).

Figure 58: Why don't you read newspapers or magazines? (n=699)

Among the respondents reading newspapers on a regular basis, men are the large majority.

Figure 59: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by gender (n=482))

Regarding the age groups, young respondents and particularly those between 25 and 34 years of ageconstitute the vast majority of regular newspapers readers.

Figure 60: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by age (n=482))

31.8

4.320.4

18.2

5.4

14.2

2.4 3.2 Not available in my area

Too expensive

Other media are better

Not enough time

Don't trust print media

Not interested in news

Don't knowOther

76.6

80.7

23.4

19.3


Everyday

Male Female

22.9%

32.8%

37.3%

35.0%

21.7%

19.7%

15.7%

8.0%

2.4%

4.4%

Everyday


From 15 - 24 From 25 - 34 From 35 - 44 From 45 - 54 From 55 and above


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The majority of regular newspapers readers hold a university diploma.

Figure 61: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by education level (n=482))

2 . 4 0 %

3 4 . 9

0 %

1 0 . 8

0 % 1 4

. 5 0 %

1 6 . 9

0 %

1 0 . 8

0 %

1 . 2 0 %

1 . 2 0 %

4 . 8 0 %

2 . 4 0 %

0 . 0 0 %

2 . 2 %

2 4 . 1

%

9 . 5 % 1 0

. 9 %

2 1 . 2

%

1 0 . 9

%

6 . 6 %

5 . 1 %

2 . 2 %

2 . 2 % 5

. 1 %

Everyday Several times each week


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Aden and Lahj are by far the two governorates which more regular readers, with 62.8% of regularnewspapers readers in Aden and 37.2% in Lahj reading it daily or several times per week. Thesegovernorates are followed by al-Baydha' and Abyan, with 26.8% and 22.5% of regular readersrespectively.

Figure 62: Generally speaking, how often do you read newspapers? (by governorate (n=1505))

Thus, a young man (from 25 to 34) with completed university studies from Aden or Lahj would be the

most common consumer type of regular newspaper readers.

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

al-Jawf

Hadhramawt

Shabwa

al-Mahweet

al-Mahra

Amran

Rayma

al-Hudaida

Ibb

Sana'a

Sa'da

Average

Sana'a City

DhamarTaiz

Hajja

Abyan

Marib

al-Dhali'

Lahj

al-Baydha'

Aden

Everyday


Once a week

A few times a month

Once a month

Never


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The state-run ath-Thawra daily newspaper is by far the most preferred newspaper selected by theinterviewees, followed by Akhbar al-Yawm.

Figure 63: Favorite newspaper or magazine (n=482)

.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

14 October22 May

26 SeptemberAkhbar al-Yawm

al-Usraal-Amana

al-Ahalyal-Ayyam

al-Imanal-Balagh

ath-Thawraath-Thawri

al-Jumhuriyyaal-Hayat al-Yawm

Al-DostorAlrai Alam

Al-RyadhiahAl-Sayasiah

Al-Sharea

Al-SahwahAl-Tareeq

Al-GhadAl-Mustaqilah

Al-MasdarAl-Nas

Al-NaharAl-Wahdah

Al-WasatElaph

Naba al-HAqeeqa

Al-OlaMaeen

Al-ShaqaaqOther

Don't knowRefused


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45

Figure 64: Second favorite newspaper or magazine (n=482)

.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0

14 October22 May

26 SeptemberAkhbar al-Yawm

Akhbar Adenal-Usra

al-Amanaal-Ahaly

al-Ayyamal-Iman

al-Balaghat-Tagammu'

ath-Thawraath-Thawrial-Jumhuriyya

al-Hayat al-Yawmar-Ra'i

ar-Ra'i al-Aamar-Ryadhiyya

as-Siyasiyyaash-Shari'a

ash-Shumu'as-Sahwaat-Tareeqal-Aasima

al-Mustaqillaal-Masdaral-Mithaq

an-Nasan-Nida

al-Wahdaal-Wahdawi

al-Yemenal-Yemen al-IqtisadiHadeeth al-Madina

Naba' al-HaqeeqaYemen Observer

ash-Shaqa'iqOther

Don't knowRefused


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Reasons why respondents read the newspapers they do are quite varied. Interesting articles, articlesaddressing the readers issues o f concern, and the publication being considered trustworthy andunbiased are the most common reasons cited.

Figure 65: Reasons why you read these newspapers more than others (n=482)

Mobile Phone

Yemen Mobile, Sabafon, and MTN are the mobile phone companies which currently lead the marketwith 45.1%, 41.5 and 33.6% of respondents using these providers respectively.

Figure 66: If you have a mobile phone, who is the provider? (n= 1505)

The presence of these three providers largely varies among governorates. For example, Yemen Mobilehas a strong presence in al- Mahweet and Dhamar; Sabafon in Sada, Shabwa, and Amran; and MTN inAbyan, Aden and al- Baydah. This is also due to the fact that all three provid ers do not have coverage inall areas of the country. For this reason, many Yemenis who travel frequently between different areas ofYemen often have a second or even a third SIM card by one or more of the other providers.

45.2

68.7

46.6

58.5

14.3

51.4

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Good Quality Writing

Interesting Articles

Family/friends/colleagues read it

Addresses Issues of Concern to Me

Useful for My Specialization

Trustworthy, Unbiased Source

Yes

No

Don't Know

Refused

33.6%

41.5%

45.1%

65.6%

57.7%

54.0%

0.8%

0.9%

0.9%

MTN

Sabafon

Yemen Mobile

Yes No I dont know


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Figure 67: Percentage of respondents stating having a mobile phone from the providers Sabafon, Yemen Mobile, and MTN bygovernorate (n=1505)

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

Rayma

al-Hudeida

Abyan

al-Jawf

Taiz

Sa'da

Hajja

al-Baydha'

Hadhramawt

Shabwa

Lahj

al-Mahra

Aden

Marib

al-Dhali'

Ibb

Amran

Sana'a City

Sana'a

Dhamar

al-Mahweet

National Average

Sabafon

Yemen Mobile

MTN


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There is a large disparity between having access to mobile phones and using them to obtain news orinformation. Although 88.5% of respondents have a mobile phone at home, only 22% use SMS servicesas a source to information. Moreover, from the 78% of respondents not using SMS to access informationonly 27.2% would like to have access to news through this channel.

Thus, the mobile phone is not yet seen as a channel to access news and information in Yemen. However,the potential is there due to its widespread presence as well as the availability of such services.

Level of satisfaction

Despite the low percentage of respondents with access to online newspapers, online media outlets arethe best rated by respondents when asking about their level of satisfaction (66.9% of respondents whohave access to online newspapers being satisfied with the information they receive). More than half ofrespondents using TV (58.3%) and radio (50.6%) are also satisfied with the information they receive fromthese sources.

Figure 68 : How satisfied are you with the information you receive from?

39.4%

44.5%

50.6%

58.3%

66.9%

41.2%

37.7%

36.7%

32.5%

21.5%

6.3%

12.0%

7.6%

7.0%

5.8%

13.1%

5.8%

5.1%

2.1%

5.8%

Print Newspapers (n= 806)

SMS (n= 326)

Radio (n= 640)

TV (n=1387)

Online newspapers (n= 172)

Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied I dont know


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Access to Local news

Only 30 percent of interviewees consider access to news relevant to their area as good.

Figure 69: Altogether, how would you rate your access to news relevant to your area (n=1505)

Respondents from Sanaa City, Shabwa, Rayma, Amran and al-Mahweet governorates are the mostdissatisfied with their access to news relevant to their areas, whereas the ones in Lahj, al-Mahra andMarib are the most satisfied.

Figure 70: Altogether, how would you rate your access to news relevant to your area? (by governorate (n=1505))

30%

43%

21%

6%

Good Neither good nor bad

Bad Don't know

21.30%27.50%

17.70%48.80%

33.90%2.50%

31.40%27.90%

41.90%28.70%

12.50%14.00%

20.30%41.90%

74.50%57.50%

25.00%67.50%

18.00%25.00%

30.00%

52.00%35.00%

29.20%26.80%

41.10%70.00%

51.40%51.30%

39.20%55.30%

25.00%62.00%

39.10%53.50%

23.50%20.00%

42.50%32.50%

41.00%57.50%

32.50%

22.70%27.50%

47.70%22.00%

8.90%25.00%

15.20%18.80%13.50%

12.80%60.00%

24.00%14.10%

12.50%30.00%

31.10%12.50%

35.00%

4.00%10.00%

5.40%2.40%

16.10%2.50%1.90%1.90%

5.40%3.20%2.50%

26.60%4.70%2.00%

10.00%2.50%

9.80%5.00%2.50%

IbbAbyan

Sana'a Cityal-Baydha'

Taizal-Jawf

Hajjaal-Hudaida

Hadhramawt

DhamarShabwa

Sa'daSana'a

AdenLahj

Maribal-Mahweet

al-MahraAmran

al-Dhali'Rayma

Good Neither good nor bad Bad Don't know


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Yemeni Citizens Concerns Perception of Human Rights and CSOs ( English Version) v3

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