Opinion is almost equally divided amongst Kenya’s Gen Z on their motivation to participate or snub the nationwide anti-government protest.
Whilst the majority of the Gen Zs interviewed (74 per cent) said they support the demos, a number of them said they do not support the demos for varied reasons.
A survey conducted by Infotrak on July 14 and 15 shows that 57 per cent of the respondents do not support the protests because of the destruction of property.
Fifty-six per cent cited fear of extrajudicial killings, 24 per cent cited excessive use of force by police which could lead to loss of life, 21 per cent cited economic disruptions while 12 per cent said they do not support the demos because they may result in political instability.
The group was asked: “If you did not participate in person, what were your reasons?”
They gave various discouraging factors.
The study indicates that 46 per cent said they had other commitments, 41 per cent said the fear of violence or arrest kept them at home while 18 per cent said they disagreed with the method being used by the protesters.
A slim minority (12 per cent) said they believe the protests will not lead to change while 2 per cent said they are afraid of dying.
The majority of those who participated in the protests (54 per cent) cited job loss or unemployment as the motivating factor.
Personal hardship was cited by 34 per cent of the respondents, while 28 per cent said they had experienced corruption and went to the streets to denounce it.
The survey shows that 28 per cent said they participated in the protests in solidarity with their generation, 22 cited political dissatisfaction, family or personal financial struggles (12 per cent); influence from peers/social media (9 per cent); witnessing or experiencing police brutality (9 per cent).
Others said they were inspired by protests in other countries (8 per cent) and lack of access to education and healthcare (6 per cent).
The survey sample the views of 1,000 respondents of Gen Z aged between 18-27 years at the time of the survey.
The study had a margin of error of ±3.099 per cent at a 95 per cent degree of confidence.
The interviews were conducted through Computer Assisted Telephone interviews.