I don't think people are naive about development and its "benefits" - I think it's just some answer they give to a strange (foreigner?) journalist they have no reason to trust. Perhaps they're shy. Perhaps they're afraid of getting quoted in the wrong place and suffering repercussions. They're not sure who they're talking to.
The only people I've met who are happy to fire off political opinions are my co-workers and taxi drivers. But lots of people are super jaded and cynical about "development" - they save it for the online forums: yay, anonymity.