The rationale for choosing these indices out of the enormous range of possible indices that can be derived from the Afrobarometer data was pragmatic: we wanted a simple range of questions to reflect the ways in which citizens might have changed as a consequence of OM. Thus, we identified questions (and hence indices) that showed how citizens perceptions of the government had changed as well as ways in which they felt that they themselves had changed. A particular interest was in seeing whether there were differences between rural and urban respondents given the focus of OM on urban and peri-urban areas and especially because our earlier study on risk aversion shows a long-term difference between rural and urban residents, with urban residents remaining more risk averse than rural residents following OM.2 A combined index was constructed for each of the above, using a simple score for each based on the sum of the re-coded binary scores for each question. The data was combined in an Excel spreadsheet and frequencies calculated for all measures. Results Below we report the findings for the contrast between the three rounds according to the themes identified – political participation, community participation, political trust, and political affiliation. However, at the outset we examine the differences between the two groups, urban and rural, in their perceived consequences of OM on their lives. Effects of OM Given the finding that urban citizens remained more risk averse following OM than their rural counterparts, it is worth at the outset examining one aspect of OM not explicitly canvassed in the Afrobarometer (2006) report, the contrast between urban and rural residents. Table 1: Urban versus Rural – the effects of OM Destruction of home/dwelling on your property Evicted from place of residence Destruction or closure of business Arrested for engaging in illegal trade Loss of job Moved in with relatives Relocated to a rural area Taken to transit camp Stay in the open Now operates business from home Government's Operation Murambatsvina “good” Urban [n=336] 3 67% 44% 48% 28% 33% 54% 36% 13% 27% 35% Rural [n=710] 41% 33% 23% 13% 21% 34% 35% 5% 17% 12% 17% 37% It is evident that the effects were considerably more serious for urban as opposed to rural residents. Every consequence covered in the Afrobarometer Round 3 survey was worse for 2 Masunungure, E., Reeler, A., Kokera, R., Mususa, D., Ndoma, S. & Koga, H (2016), Are Zimbabweans Revolting? An examination of Risk-taking and Risk-Aversion since 1999, March 2017. MPOI & RAU. 3 For every consequence of OM the difference was strongly statistically significant (χ²: p=0.0001). 7