Stronger disagreement observed on equality of opportunity, SL Barometer 2021 reveals

Olaf Malchow 
PIC BY PRADEEP DILRUCKSHANA  

Sri Lankans are leaning towards stronger disagreement regarding equality of opportunity, the findings of the latest Sri Lanka Barometer revealed, indicating that more needs to be done to address the causes of conflict and discrimination since the end of the war. 

The results of the Sri Lanka Barometer 2021 survey, which was launched yesterday, showed that for the year under review, the views of citizens in this regard have worsened when compared with the moderately positive views recorded in 2020. 

The mean score of 6.2 in 2020 cropped to 3.9 in 2021, the survey findings revealed. 
“This significant change in perceptions could indicate more economic hardship or the fact that people are becoming more aware of the difficulties others face.  
The findings may be indicative of the changing political tide in Sri Lanka and hint at the looming economic crisis across all groups in the country,” the report on the survey findings highlighted. 
The report also pointed out that the findings may be reflective of the post-war landscape and related changes experienced since the end of the war, including the effects of localised violence, economic shocks, due to critical events such as the political coup in 2018, Digana riots in 2018 and Easter Sunday bombings of 2019, among other incidents.  
“The change in perceptions in 2021 among the majority ethnic and religious groups potentially offers further evidence of pessimism among people in the country and the growing dissatisfaction regarding the effects of bad policymaking and governance,” the report added. 

The Sri Lanka Barometer is a research initiative aimed at deepening the understanding of how Sri Lankans perceive reconciliation and its most salient dimensions.  

Addressing the launch event yesterday, German Deputy Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Olaf Malchow said, “In this initiative, there is potential to bridge gaps within and between communities by diving deeper and understanding the barriers that have to be overcome to bring people together.” 

Initiated in 2018, the Barometer is supported by Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE) and co-financed by the European Union and German Federal Foreign Office. It is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with the Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Ministry.