Infrastructure Over – By Sharon N. Simon
Infrastructure Over Imagery 2026
A WhatsApp survey of 60 residents across 16 villages in Antigua revealed that infrastructure and food costs are the dominant voter priorities ahead of the upcoming General Election.
Of the 60 residents contacted between April 10 and 16, 2026, 54 responded — a 90 percent engagement rate — while six did not reply.
The non-respondents were from the communities of Swetes and New Winthorpes, while the respondents were from Yorks, All Saints, Freemans Village, Swetes, Bolans, Pigotts, Liberta, Belmont, Five Islands, Rural East, St. George, St. Mary’s South, and three additional communities in the original sample cohort.
Each of the 54 participants was asked to respond in four areas: a rating of local water and road infrastructure on a scale of one to 10; whether rising food costs had shifted their voting priority; whether a constitutionally fixed election date should replace the prime minister’s power to call a snap election; and whether they would vote on April 30 or consider abstaining in protest.
On Question 1, residents of Yorks and Pigotts returned the lowest infrastructure scores — three or below — with 8 out of 10 respondents in those two communities citing dry pipes lasting more than four consecutive days per week.
In All Saints and Liberta, road degradation ranked as the primary grievance, regardless of party affiliation. In Five Islands, every respondent linked the ongoing University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus expansion to the immediate need for the Cooks Hill water storage tank and specialised pumping stations to accommodate projected population growth.
On Question 2, respondents in Freemans Village, Swetes and Bolans reported that the cost of whole foods and organic produce had risen an estimated 15 to 20 percent over the preceding 18 months. Seventy-five percent of households across all 16 communities stated this increase had affected how they were weighing economic concerns relative to infrastructure when determining their vote. The April 10–11 reduction of the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax (ABST) to zero percent on select food items was noted across multiple communities, but respondents characterised the measure as addressing symptoms rather than the underlying duty structure on healthy imports.
“We are voting for our plates as much as our parliament,” said one respondent from St. Mary’s South.
On Question 3, 47 of the 54 respondents — 88 percent — supported replacing the prime minister’s election-timing authority with a fixed constitutional date.
Respondents in Rural East and St. George described snap election powers as an incumbency advantage that disrupts long-term community planning. The dissenting 12 percent, concentrated in Belmont and New Winthorpes, argued that Westminster parliamentary flexibility is necessary to resolve legislative impasses.
On Question 4, 92 percent of respondents over the age of 40 stated they would vote on April 30, citing historical struggles for suffrage. Approximately 5 percent of younger urban respondents indicated they were considering abstaining in protest.
“The ballot is the only tool that doesn’t require a plumber to fix or a politician to pave,” said one respondent from All Saints.
The concerns documented here follow a recorded pattern. In January 2023, both the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the United Progressive Party (UPP) campaigned on water, roads, and food costs. The ABLP’s 2023 manifesto committed to investing in water supply and repairing community roads. The UPP committed to a stable water supply and lower food and Customs duties. Voter turnout in that election cycle was 67 percent — the lowest recorded in 20 years — as the ABLP’s parliamentary majority fell from 15 seats to nine. Three years on, 94 percent of 2026 respondents identify those same issues as unresolved.
The Survey was conducted April 10–16, 2026, via WhatsApp. Recipients: 60. Respondents: 54 (90%). Non-respondents: 6 (10%).
