The 67th annual American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) conference was held in Boston, MA from May 16th – May 19th, 2013.  “Indicators of State Legitimacy in Afghanistan,” written and presented at AAPOR by Nina Sabarre, Samuel Solomon, and Timothy Van Blarcom, contributes to the debate over the future of Afghanistan through a quantitative analysis of variables that influence perceptions of state legitimacy. These perceptions are critical for policy implementation in Afghanistan, as its absence requires the central government to devote resources to maintaining sovereignty against a bold insurgency rather than applying them to effective governance and development. The authors of this paper conduct a thorough analysis of an Afghan national survey sponsored by D3 and its subsidiary ACSOR Surveys (Futures Wave 3)  to understand the significance and strength of different variables (such as: region, security, opinion of Taliban, income, religion, socio-economic status, etc.) on perceptions of state legitimacy.

In the paper titled, “South Sudan: Evolving Opinions after a Year of Independence,” written and presented at AAPOR by Brian Kirchhoff and Samantha Chiu, the authors share an analysis of longitudinal survey results comparing trends in South Sudan during its first year of independence. In 2011, a honeymoon period produced largely positive opinions, but a year later opinions on multiple topics have shifted. The research topics include political stability, hydrocarbon policy, delivery of services and resources to a largely rural population, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, regional drought and famine, the regional spread of terrorism and a perennially contentious relationship with Sudan.

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