Africa-Press – Cape verde. More than half of Cape Verdeans (56%) believe that the time has come for Cape Verde to adopt Creole as its official language, with the same status as Portuguese, according to a study by Afrobarometer. However, support for the officialization of the archipelago’s mother tongue has fallen eight percentage points since 2022, when this opinion was shared by 64% of the population.
As reported today by Afrobarometer, the number of people who argue that Creole should continue to be widely spoken, but without becoming an official language, has increased.
This position was supported by 41% of respondents in 2024, an increase of nine percentage points compared to the 32% recorded in 2022. The survey, conducted between August and September 2024, involved 1,200 Cape Verdean adults and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95%.
The data reveal that support for officialization is greater among men (60%) than among women (53%). The trend is also stronger among rural residents (62%) compared to urban residents (54%).
The opinion in favor of officialization is present in all age groups, particularly among individuals between 36 and 45 years old (60%). Regarding the level of education, the greatest support is found among those who have completed secondary education (60%).
According to the same source, the officialization of Creole is most supported by both people living in situations of extreme poverty (66%) and those without any experience of poverty (59%).
The Afrobarometer study also assessed perceptions of the use of Creole in teaching.
By 2024, around 69% of Cape Verdeans agree or strongly agree with the introduction of Creole and Portuguese in primary schools. However, this percentage also fell by nine percentage points compared to 2022, when it reached 78%.
As for government measures, just over a quarter of those interviewed (27%) believe that the current and previous governments have not created any necessary conditions to make Creole an official language.
On the other hand, 61% say that the government has already created some, few or many conditions for this to happen, remaining stable in relation to 2022.
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