Guyana is experiencing an extraordinary energy boom and is emerging as a world-recognized petroleum producer. Earlier this year President Dr. Irfaan Ali indicated that cash transfers to every household is not a feasible option. He’s promoting a sustainable future where energy surpluses can be utilized for improving Guyana’s competitiveness, production capacity increase and workforce strengthening.
A poll was conducted in Georgetown to gauge public perception of their view on the developments of the oil and gas sector. The following insights were derived from the respondents:
- Approximately 52% stated that their work and financial situation has not improved due to the oil boom in Guyana.
- Around 56% do not agree with the Government’s view on cash transfers from the oil and gas sector.
- Of the respondents 83% do not work in the Oil and Gas sector. Of these 55% would like to have a career within the sector.
- The government received an average score of 4 for the way they have been managing the oil sector with spinoffs for its citizens.
- There were no significant differences in results when comparing across demographic factors such as age, gender, and education level.
Based on these results, it can be concluded that the public needs more information regarding the effects of unconditional cash transfers. There is also an indication that the opportunities and benefits from the sector does not have a balanced spread, this needs to be researched further.
In January, a random sample of 151 residents in Georgetown was surveyed. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face, and a confidence interval of 95% was used, with a margin of error of approximately 8%. The sample was adequately representative of important demographic characteristics, such as gender and age.
CoreStats is a data-focused company based in Suriname. Each month, we publish CoreFacts on interesting topics and analyze the data to provide insights into various trends and developments within the country.