Pacific Attitudes Surveys: a new online research story

Since the 1970s, popular political attitudes surveys have given decision-makers non-partisan, data-driven insight into public opinion on social, economic and political issues. The Pacific is the only region not covered by systematic global democracy and values surveys such as the Global Barometer Surveys and the World Values Survey, so Pacific people have had no equivalent chance to have their perspectives and experiences recorded in this way.

The Pacific Attitudes Survey (PAS) was developed to fill that gap. It is a partnership between researchers from the Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) and Pacific tertiary institutions. The surveys use nationally representative samples of Pacific Islanders.

A new online research story presents findings from the PAS in Samoa and Vanuatu.

The Samoa survey was the first large-scale popular political attitudes survey conducted in the Pacific. Delivered with the National University of Samoa in late December 2020 and January 2021, it had 181 questions in 26 modules, including democracy, national identity, tradition, leadership and development. Fieldwork took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and ahead of an historic election.

The Vanuatu survey was conducted between August and October 2023 with The University of the South Pacific and the National University of Vanuatu. It has 191 questions and adds expanded modules on climate change and labour mobility.

DPA and the Australian Government, through the Pacific Research Program, jointly funded both surveys. The Asia Foundation also funded the Vanuatu survey.

Read the full online research story here.

The full survey reports are available in the ANU Open Research repository for Samoa and Vanuatu.