Reproducibility package for Economic sentiments and expectations in Sub-Saharan Africa in a time of multiple shocks

Against the background of high inflation, climate shocks, and concerns regarding rising food insecurity, this study documents the state of economic sentiments and expectations of households in five African countries that are home to 36 percent of the Sub-Saharan African population. Leveraging nationally representative phone survey data, 57 percent of households across the five countries report that their financial situation and their country’s economic situation have worsened significantly in the last 12 months. While the expectations regarding the future are more positive, there are marked differences across countries that suggest uneven recovery prospects and non-negligible uncertainty regarding the future. Households overwhelmingly report prices to have increased considerably in the past 12 months and expect prices to increase faster, or at the same rate, for the next 12 months. Close to 54 percent of households – home to 206 million individuals - further expect that climate shocks will have adverse impacts on their finances in the next year. Economic sentiments are closely related to livelihood outcomes such as food insecurity, lack of access to staple foods, income loss, and unemployment, and sentiments regarding the household financial situation, country economic situation, price increases, and climate shocks are also interdependent. Households whose financial situation has worsened in the past year are consistently more pessimistic about their financial future. Food insecure households, in particular, are not only more likely to report worsening financial situation in the recent and pessimism regarding the future, but also more likely to expect to be adversely impacted by climate shocks.