Timor-Leste Covid-19 Survey – Synthesis Report
The coronavirus outbreak is a global concern faced throughout the world, including in Timor-Leste. The government of Timor-Leste has taken preventive steps to reduce the number of cases, including a state of emergency, mandatory home confinement, and in-country restrictions using sanitary fences between municipalities. From May 2020 to May 2021, The Asia Foundation conducted six rounds of public perception surveys on Covid-19 and the government’s response. This report is a synthesis of the data collected across the six surveys. We can see how people’s perceptions, understandings, and practices changed over time.
Overall, Covid-19 was the most common perceived threat to security in respondents’ local areas, increasing from 70% in December 2020 to 91% in May 2021. Most of the respondents appreciated actions taken by the government, such as household cash payments and food baskets. There was a consensus that the government should have offered more support during the consecutive states of emergency and the implementation of the sanitary fences, as this would have been a way to offset the socioeconomic impacts and rebuild trust between the population and the government. The hope is that the data collected in these surveys will provide policymakers with more information for their strategic response to Covid-19. This research is supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
