Popular Political Attitudes in Vanuatu: Findings of the Pacific Attitudes Survey

This paper presents the findings of the second Pacific Attitudes Survey (PAS), conducted in Vanuatu from August–October 2023. Drawing on a nationally representative sample (n = 1330) of ni-Vanuatu of voting-age (18+), the PAS gauges the views of ordinary ni-Vanuatu citizens on a range of questions related to democracy, economics, governance, tradition, climate change, labour mobility and international relations. This article focuses on how ni-Vanuatu understand and participate in democracy, levels of popular trust in institutions, attitudes towards the role of government, the performance of their political system, and womenʼs participation in politics. Findings of the PAS: Vanuatu reveal high levels of popular support for democracy and trust in democratic institutions. At the same time, popular political attitudes also highlight a distinctive and widely embraced respect for kastom values and traditional leadership, and a popular preference for participating in politics through local and traditional, rather than national pathways.