Mauritians approach election with diminished confidence in the freedom of their press Summary

Brian Howard

As the campaign for the November general election intensifies, how do ordinary Mauritians see the role and realities of their media? The latest Afrobarometer survey findings show that Mauritians overwhelmingly want their media to act as a watchdog over the government, constantly investigating and reporting on government mistakes and corruption. [...] Copyright ©Afrobarometer 2024 1 Key findings ▪ The vast majority (86%) of Mauritians say the media should “constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption.” ▪ An equally strong share (86%) of the population support media freedom, while only one in 10 (11%) think the government should have the right to prevent the publication of things it disapproves of. [...] Media freedom receives the same popular support: 86% of respondents say the media should have the right to publish any views and ideas without government control, while only 11% think the government should be able to prevent the publication of things that it disapproves of (Figure 2). [...] Figure 2: Should the media be free? | Mauritius | 2024 100% 86% 80% 60% 40% 20% 11% 0% Media should be free to report Government should be able to without government control prevent publications it disapproves of Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your view? Statement 1: The media should have the right to publish any views and ideas without government control. [...] Institute of Peace, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation via the World Bank Think Africa Project, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the Open Society Foundations - Africa, Luminate, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the European Union Commission, the World Bank Group, the Ministry o.