Perceptions and Opinions of Jamaicans on Caribbean Institutions for Regional Integration

Abstract

This study analyses the perceptions and opinions of 1581 Jamaicans of voting age, on Caribbean institutions for regional integration. These perceptions and opinions were enlisted through a social survey, conducted by the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies during the months of May and June 2003.

The general findings of the study were both positive and negative. On the positive side, respondents were generally aware of the association between some Caribbean institutions and regional integration. The two institutions that respondents highly associated with regional integration were the West Indies Cricket Team (78%) and the University of the West Indies (74%). The institutions that were moderately associated with regional integration included CARlCOM (61 %), the Caribbean Court of Justice (58%), and the Caribbean Festival of Arts (52%).

On the negative side, respondents were mostly unaware of the association of the other Caribbean institutions with regional integration. In descending order, respondents' level of awareness of the association between those institutions and regional integration was as follows: the Caribbean Development Bank (33%), the Caribbean Single Market Economy (28%), the Caribbean Disaster Relief Agency (25%), the Association of Caribbean Community of Parliamentarians (15%), and the Regional Negotiating Machinery (11 %). Although the survey collected a variety of data relating to different aspects of the proposed Caribbean integration, this study concentrates on the information relating to Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).