NDI poll: top three gov’t spending priorities for Georgians are healthcare, education and pensions

Poll results released today by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and CRRC Georgia show growing dissatisfaction about the state of the country’s economy, environment and political climate.

Top issues remain economic ones – employment, poverty and prices. Only three percent assess the economy as "good.” 

59 percent of respondents report that they have not worked a day in the last month. 

Georgians would like to see healthcare, education, pensions and social assistance as top spending priorities and would tolerate cuts in foreign affairs, police, sports and assistance to small and medium businesses to accommodate in return. 

"Despite reported growth, for most Georgians the country’s economic outlook is bleak. This growth has not trickled down,” said Laura Thornton, senior country director.

"Policymakers will need to translate the country’s growth figures into concrete improvements for the general public, higher employment, better economic outcomes and prioritize providing solutions to citizens’ concerns about healthcare and education,” she added.

62 percent of citizens believe the country is going in the wrong direction compared to 29 percent who believe the country is going in the right direction, however the question was asked only to half of the respondents. 

Compared to 10 years ago, Georgians see improvements in freedom of speech, affordable healthcare, and rights of women and minorities, according to the NDI poll.

The majority of Georgians also assesses the quality of the environment as a significant problem, particularly in Tbilisi, and up to 90 percent support a wide range of measures from technical inspections on cars, mandatory recycling, and regular testing of food products to banning plastic bags and containers, and improving public transport.

The results reflect data collected from June 23 to July 8 through face-to-face interviews with a nationwide representative sample of Georgia’s adult population, excluding occupied territories. That  included 2,409 completed interviews (49% response rate). The average margin of error is +/- 1.9 percent and the margin of error is different for every response, the NDI says.