This paper explores the relationship between poor people and the concept of democratic citizenship in sub-Saharan Africa. The fundamental questions the author attempts to answer are: are poor people any more or less attached to democracy than rich people? Are they any more or less likely to act as democratic citizens? These ideas are tested, in the African contexts, from data drawn from the Afrobarometer — a series of comparative national surveys that, among other things, measures the economic living conditions and political orientations of ordinary Africans. The most important findings of this paper include: people at all levels of material wellbeing tend to have similar views on political tolerance, political accountability, and political equality; poorer people are less inclined than wealthier people to think they are getting democracy from current African governments – one cannot, however, be certain if poor people actually want less of this political regime; voter turnout is higher amongst the poor, who are also more likely to participate in political activity between elections;evidence from the Afrobarometer suggests that ordinary Africans remain wedded to patronage norms; they still see themselves as the clients of political “big men” rather than citizens with rights.
