Talking Peace: A Population-Based Survey on Attitudes about Security, Dispute Resolution, and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Liberia

• There is a high degree of socio-economic inequality between Greater Monrovia and the rest of the country. • Access to information has improved since the end of the war for a majority of the population (66%), but respondents in the southeastern part of the country continue to rely predominantly on informal sources of information (e.g., friends, family) due to poor access to media. • Education, health, and employment were mentioned most frequently by the respondents as their main priorities as well as priorities on which the government should focus. • The 14-year civil war period affected almost everyone in Liberia. Nearly four out of five respondents (78%) considered themselves a victim of the civil wars. • A majority of respondents is willing to forgive those who were responsible for the violence. • Most Liberians are positive about the country’s prospect for peace. • Considering Liberia’s stable but fragile security situation, most respondents felt safe and reported improvements in security during the year prior to the survey. • Although 49% of the respondents identified ethnicity and ethnic divisions as one of the causes of the civil wars, few respondents (4%) identified ethnic divisions or tribal violence as current factors of insecurity. • One in four adults had a land dispute during or after the conflict, the most common form of dispute among the population. • Domestic violence is a common occurrence, and 36% of the women and 16% of the men reported having experienced this during their lives. • Almost all (95%) respondents plan to vote in the upcoming presidential elections.