NDI and CRRC-Georgia release poll results
By Khatia Bzhalava
Wednesday, July 29
NDI released results of the poll which reflects data collected between June 26-30 of 2020, through telephone interviews with Georgia’s adult population, excluding occupied territories. According to NDI, participants were selected by using a random-digit-dial method. The survey is funded by UK aid from the British people and the poll was carried out for NDI by CRRC Georgia.
According to NDI, the main goals of the research are to help key stakeholders fight disinformation campaigns; To help respond to the public’s concerns; To understand the communication ecosystem and main myths around the coronavirus; understand people’s favored channels and most trusted sources; To understand attitudes towards EU and NATO in light of the Covid-19.
According to the poll, 60% of the surveyed people find it easy to distinguish truth from fake information, whilst 33% are unable to determine what is true and what is not. NDI encloses quotes from the focus groups, where one of the participants said:
“I don’t trust news on Facebook. I read it because I’m curious, but I don’t trust most of it. I can usually tell by the comments and reactions to the news whether it’s fake or not.” Another participant said that he only trusts the information published by the official pages of broadcasters.
30% of the community who participated in the survey believe that Coronavirus was made in a lab and spread intentionally, while 22% consider that the virus was made in a lab and spread accidentally and 13% think that the virus came about naturally. A significant majority with 73% think that a relatively low level of spread and mortality rate in Georgia is due to the correct steps taken by the government and doctors. Only 17% think that the situation in Georgia is mostly due to our genetics and religion.
According to the data, 66% believe that the Lugar Lab prevents the spread of COVID-19, while 4% think the opposite and believe that the Lab is contributing to the spread of the virus. 6% even said that they have never heard of the Lugar Lab. As the enclosed quotes from the participant state, the community does not believe that biological weapons are being developed in the Lugar Lab and assume the information to be fake.
The majority (78%) of the respondents have not used natural remedies(such as drinking hot water, vodka, eating garlic, etc.) against COVID-19. Only 19% answered to have used such remedies for preventive purposes.
According to the survey, 46% would not vaccinate themselves and their kids if a vaccine existed, whilst 38% would like to be vaccinated against the novel Coronavirus. As one of the participants said, it all depends on the quality and the origin of the vaccine.
53% agrees with the following statement:
“Faith protects believers of my religion from getting infected with COVID-19.” 38% disagreed with the statement and 9% did not have an answer at all. TDI noted that only 10% of Orthodox Christians reported that they attended Easter service in the church.
On the question of whether a certain foreign country is intentionally spreading false information about COVID-19 in Georgia, 29% answered ‘Yes’, 35% answered ‘No’ and 36% did not know the answer. Out of 29% that agreed with the statement, 36% did not know exactly which country spreads disinformation, 33% named Russia, 27% named Armenia, and 11% named China. Also, the USA was named by 6% of the participants, EU countries by 4%, Azerbaijan by 3%, and Turkey by 2%.
“when presented with some prevalent disinformation narratives, significant numbers of Georgians disagreed with the statements, such as that the EU has abandoned its members (54 percent disagree), the Richard Lugar Public Center for Public Health Research (Lugar Lab) develops biological weapons against Russia (60 percent disagree), and 5G is linked to the spread of COVID-19 (45 percent disagree),” states the official website of NDI and adds that while few Georgians believe in these statements, roughly a third do not know whether they are true or false and thus, according to NDI, this data points to disinformation’s ability to confuse.
76% favors the Georgian government’s stated goal to become a member of the UN and 69% supports the idea of joining NATO.
59% believe that Georgia will benefit if the country joins NATO and EU, whilst only 11% think that Georgia will succeed more if European and Euro-Atlantic integration will be refused to establish a better relationship with Russia.
