The percentage of respondents who say they sympathize with the Taliban has dropped to 29 percent, compared with 56 percent in 2009 and 40 percent last year, according to a poll by the Asia Foundation, a San Francisco-based NGO. The poll was partly funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development…

The survey found that self-reported economic conditions are improving, as the percentage that reported financial well-being jumped from 31 percent in 2009 to 43 percent in 2011, the poll showed.

Meanwhile, there is slight optimism for the future of the country. This year, nearly half of the respondents, 46 percent say that the country is moving in the right direction. The majority of respondents report satisfaction with basic needs, such as education for children (73 percent), clean drinking water (70 percent) and the availability of clinics and hospitals (57 percent).