Afrobarometer: Only 33% of Moroccan Youth Trust Akhannouch Government

Marrakech – A new Afrobarometer survey reveals that Moroccan youth aged 18-35 express remarkably low levels of trust in the country’s political leaders and institutions.

Authored by Abdellatif Elmounachit, a doctoral student in sociology at Hassan II University in Casablanca and participant in the Afrobarometer Summer School, the study chronicles the quiet collapse of a generation’s belief in formal politics.

The survey was carried out by Global for Survey and Consulting (GSC) in February 2024, interviewing a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult Moroccan citizens.

Elite corruption has killed trust in political institutions

According to the report, only about one-third of young Moroccans say they somewhat or strongly trust the parliament (37%), their municipal council (34%), Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch (33%), and both ruling and opposition parties (33% each).

In early February, Akhannouch stepped down as leader of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the main party in Morocco’s ruling coalition, and was replaced by Mohamed Chaouki at an extraordinary congress in El Jadida, signaling his apparent departure from political life.

Trust levels among youth are comparable to those of older citizens regarding the parliament and the prime minister. However, young people show notably lower confidence in municipal councillors and political parties, trailing respondents over 55 by 5 percentage points on ruling parties and 4 points on opposition parties.

The report notes that compared to 2015, youth trust in the prime minister dropped by 6 percentage points. Trust in municipal councillors and parliament, however, rose by 9 and 11 points respectively. Trust in opposition parties doubled from 16% to 33% over the same period.

Corruption perceptions appear to drive much of this distrust. Young Moroccans are more likely than older respondents to believe that most or all municipal councillors (33% vs. 26%), parliamentarians (32% vs. 24%), and officials in the prime minister’s office (27% vs. 23%) are involved in corruption.

The correlation between corruption perception and institutional trust is sharp. Among youth who believe most or all officials in the prime minister’s office are corrupt, only 9% express trust in those officials. That figure rises to 42% among those who perceive little or no corruption. Similar gaps emerge for parliamentarians (13% vs. 47%) and municipal councillors (11% vs. 44%).

Performance approval ratings follow the same downward trend. Only three in 10 young Moroccans approve of the performance of their leaders. Youth are less likely than those over 55 to endorse the work of municipal councillors (30% vs. 34%), the prime minister (29% vs. 35%), and parliamentarians (28% vs. 33%).

On the training and promotion of young leaders, 49% of youth expressed satisfaction with community organizations’ efforts, while 36% disapproved.

The survey also exposes a gap between democratic ideals and perceived practice. More than six in 10 young respondents believe the prime minister should be accountable to parliament on public spending (67%) and must obey the country’s laws and courts (63%). Yet only about half say the prime minister rarely or never ignores parliament (55%) or the judiciary (50%).

Low to nonexistent political participation

Political participation among youth remains limited through traditional channels. Excluding those too young to vote in 2021, only 40% of young people reported voting in the last legislative elections, compared to 62% of the 36-55 age group and 65% of those over 55.

Just 8% of youth feel close to a political party, compared to 13% of older citizens. Only 11% joined others to demand government action, against 20% of seniors.

Young Moroccans are, however, more active in newer forms of engagement. Sixteen percent reported posting political content on social media, compared to just 4% of those over 55. Eight percent participated in protests or marches, versus 3% of the oldest cohort.

The report concludes that this widespread distrust likely stems from heightened corruption perceptions, which negatively shape how youth evaluate institutional performance. While most young Moroccans endorse accountability and rule of law in principle, fewer believe these standards are upheld in practice.

With legislative elections scheduled for September 23 this year, these findings raise pressing questions about whether political parties can bridge this credibility gap with a demographic that accounts for roughly one-third of the population.

The data also forces a more uncomfortable question. In developed countries, it is the educated, younger population that drives electoral outcomes and shapes political direction. In Morocco, the opposite holds true. With youth largely absent from the ballot box, it is the older, less educated, and predominantly rural electorate that effectively decides who governs the country and steers its future.

A generation that overwhelmingly shuns voting yet takes to social media and the streets to voice its discontent presents both a challenge and a warning for Morocco’s political establishment.