IRI polls: number of people supporting dialogue with Russia is on a historic low
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, July 22
The polls released by the International Republican Institute (IRI) say that the number of people in Georgia supporting a direct dialogue with Russia has decreased starting from 2010, reaching a historic minimum this year.
The polls say that 46 percent of the interviewed people support such a dialogue with the country which occupies 20 percent of the Georgian land, while the figure stood at 84 percent in 2010.
The polls were conducted before Tbilisi Protests, triggered by the presence of Russian MPs in Georgia, causing unrest.
The survey says that Georgians are concerned about the ongoing poor state of relations with Russia.
71 percent of Georgians said that Russia’s aggression toward Georgia is ongoing — a level last reached in February 2014 — and the majority of Georgians regard Russia as Georgia’s ‘greatest political and economic threat.’
“Moreover, 52 percent of respondents do not believe that the current government has handled the relationship well,” IRI says.
The majority supports Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic goals. However, most of the interviewed say that Georgia will never become a member of NATO.
If the elections were held in Georgia tomorrow, 26 percent would vote for the Georgian Dream ruling party and the 22 percent for the United National Movement opposition.
David Bakradze, from the European Georgia opposition, was at the top of the list of the most liked politicians, followed by Tbilisi Mayor from the ruling party Kakha Kaladze.
The poll reads that most Georgians are concerned with economic issues.
“Georgians are worried about the economy, and many see their economic situation deteriorating,” said IRI Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix. “Left unaddressed, feelings of economic stagnation can lead to a very fragile political environment, especially when accounting for ongoing pressures coming from Moscow. It is of paramount importance that all parties come together to address these basic and long-standing voter concerns.”
73 percent of Georgians identified unemployment as one of the biggest problems of the country, followed by the cost of living (34 percent) and poverty (28 percent).
Consistent with last year’s findings, 40 percent of Georgians noted that their financial situation has remained unchanged over the previous 12 months, and 49 percent of said that their financial situation has worsened over the same period.
The church, army, and the media were among the top three favorites.
Kaladze says that the ruling party does not trust in the polls as they do not believe in the Georgian companies who carry out field works in the country.
The opposition says that the polls by NDI and IRI are always noteworthy.
The survey was conducted on behalf of the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights and Survey Research by Dr. Rasa Alisauskiene of the Baltic Surveys/The Gallup Organization, with fieldwork carried out by the?Institute of Polling & Marketing.
Data was collected throughout Georgia between May 20 and June 11, 2019, through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes.
The nationally representative sample consisted of 1,500 permanent residents of Georgia aged 18 or older and eligible to vote.
IRI says that the margin of error does not exceed plus or minus 2.5 percent for the full sample, and the response rate was 68 percent.
The survey was funded by the US Agency for International Development.
