GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent Gallup Poll of Cuba, conducted
with 1,000 residents of Havana and Santiago, offers a rare look at
the island's understudied population. The findings represent a
fascinating portrayal of a populace living with the paradoxes of a
communist regime. One of the most striking examples can be seen in
the way Cuban respondents feel about the country's educational
opportunities as opposed to its opportunities to attain fulfilling
jobs.
Satisfaction With Schools Is High
Respondents were extremely positive about the country's schools,
reflecting the success of a concerted effort by the state beginning
in 2002 to make education a higher priority. In 2004, education
spending represented more than 11% of GDP, compared with 6.3% in
1998.*
- Almost all respondents (98%) agreed that all Cubans, regardless
of economic status, have access to education. A high 78% say they
are satisfied with the schools in their communities. Perhaps most
impressively, a majority of the Cuban respondents, 60%, say the
quality of Cuba's colleges is superior to that in other countries,
more than twice the regional percentage for urban Latin
America (26%).
- The vast majority of respondents also perceive Cuban society as
good environment for child development. A full 96% say they think
most children have the opportunity to learn and grow every day, far
above the 50% regional figure for Latin America. Nearly as many
Cuban respondents, 93%, say they think the country's children are
treated with dignity and respect, compared with just 36% of
respondents across Latin America.
Positivity Toward Work Low for Latin
America
Somewhere along the way, the potential generated by Cuba's
well-developed education system gets truncated. As students, Cubans
are typically presented only with those career options that are
deemed in demand by the state -- that is, the
professions in which the country needs workers at that time.
State control of prices gives workers little control over their
earning potential, which may reduce their motivation to work hard
or be innovative.
- Just 42% of Cuban respondents say people in the country can get
ahead by working hard; the regional figure for Latin America is
almost twice as high (79%).
- Among Cuban respondents who say they have jobs, about
two-thirds (68%) say they are satisfied with them. Sixty percent
say their jobs give them the opportunity to do what they do best
every day. Both figures are significantly below the regional
results for urban Latin America (84% for both questions).
- Lack of a sense of control may also curb entrepreneurial
impulses in Cuban society: although 94% of respondents say they
would describe the Cuban people as "entrepreneurial," only about
one-third (32%) say they currently have a plan, idea, or invention
in mind to improve their standard of living, compared with a
regional finding of 44% overall among urban Latin Americans.
* Economist Intelligence Unit Country Profile: Cuba
Survey Methods
Results are based on face-to-face interviews conducted between
Sept. 1 and Sept. 15, 2006, with 1,000 residents of Havana (600)
and Santiago (400), aged 15 and older. Extreme challenges posed by
Cuba's poor transportation infrastructure made it unfeasible to
collect a nationwide sample; thus, the results are representative
only of the nearly 3 million inhabitants of Cuba's two largest
cities. Comparison results for all of Latin America are based on
data from urban populations in 20 Latin American countries.
For results based on these samples, one can say with 95% confidence
that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random
effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling
error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting
surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public
opinion polls.
