US economic blockade or US aggression as the country's main economic problem. Others were more likely to list effects rather than causes: shortages of goods (16%), low wages (15%), inflation (14%) and deficient production (13%). Ten percent cited bad government as the main "cause" of the economic problems (as opposed to the larger group mentioned above who criticized the government's economic management, but did not describe it as the main economic problem).

The rating of the government's overall political performance (27% said good/excellent, 41% said fair, 26% said bad/terrible) compares favorably with that of its economic management. It also compares favorably with ratings achieved by other Latin American governments, according to participating pollster William Bollinger. In a poll taken in Mexico City last November, for instance, only 11% ofwomen at home (17%), merchants 18%) and artisans who sell their own production (15%). The merchants and women at home were much more likely not to identify with any political party. Artisan/merchants were 78% non-identified, merchants 65%, homemakers 67%.

The way in which those identified with different parties answered questions in the survey was generally predictable—Sandinista supporters backed the government, the opposition opposed it, and those not identified with any party occupied the middle ground. Take, for example, the reasons Managuans gave for the cause of the war. Overall, 47% of those surveyed blamed the war on the United States, or Reagan's imperialism and aggression, or the contras. But 81% of Sandinista supporters said one of these was the cause of the war compared with an average of 22%