Popularity of the U.S. Wanes as Haitians Welcome Russian Intervention

 

Tracking Global Events | 18 October 2022

Last week, Hatian President Ariel Henry passed a resolution requesting a foreign “specialized armed force” to aid a worsening humanitarian crisis that includes the blocking of a main fuel depot and dwindling supplies of drinking water. On Oct 14, the United States deployed disaster response teams to Haiti, military vehicles to the Hatiain police, and U.S. coast guard boats to patrol the island-nation’s waters. While the United Nations debates a coordinated intervention, some are worried about the implications and effectiveness of a U.S.-led response to the crisis. To better understand sentiment among Haitians, Premise released a rapid response survey to understand views towards foreign powers.

Insights

  • 64% of Contributors had a “Very favorable” or “Favorable” view of Russia or China. While, only 48% had a “Very favorable” or “Favorable” view of the U.S.
  • Overall, Contributors viewed Vladimir Putin much more positively than Joe Biden. Only 14% of respondents view Joe Biden “Very positively”, just half of the 31% who view Vladimir Putin “Very positively”
  • When asked “generally speaking the United States plays a positive role in my country” 43% of contributors either “strongly disagree” or “somewhat disagree” while only 29% “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree.” On the other hand, only 13% of contributors felt that Russia or China played a non-positive role in their country.
  • 46% of Contributors said they trust Russia most to solve their current crisis, while only 16% responded with the U.S.
  • Respondents overwhelmingly supported having a “Russian private security group in Haiti. 58% either “strongly supported” or “somewhat supported” the idea, yet only 8% “strongly opposed” or “somewhat opposed” the idea

Views on whether Russian, China, US are positive influences on Haiti

Almost half (48%) of contributors claimed there were pro-Russian protests in their area. The density heat map above portrays a high frequency of protests in more densely populated areas like Port-au-Prince, Gonaïves, and Cap-Haitien.

Methodology

Premise launched this rapid response survey utilizing convenience sampling, a type of nonprobability sampling that is hyper efficient in dynamic events, involving the sample being drawn from the population that is ready to assist. Premise received 583 responses from mostly young males across 9 of 10 Haitian Departments.

Premise in Action

Premise offers a unique ability to quickly source information from real people on the ground in hard-to-reach places, enabling our customers to monitor a situation over time and employ a data-driven approach to timely decision-making. To learn more about Premise, watch our tech demo or get in touch with us.