NDI polls: 78% of Georgians approve EU, 71% approve NATO membership

Georgians are mostly concerned by economic problems, the NDI reports.Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Agenda.ge, 17 Sep 2019 - 10:57, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgians continue to demonstrate ‘resilient support’ for the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic goals, with 78 per cent approving EU membership and 71 per cent NATO membership, the most recent polls by the US National Democratic Institute (NDI) read.

In addition, the vast majority (83 per cent) believe that parliament should include at least 30 percent women and approve of a mandatory gender quota (65 per cent),” NDI polls read. 

The top issues for Georgians remain focused on the economy: jobs (48 per cent), rising prices and inflation (34 per cent), and poverty (33 per cent).

Nationally, only 10 percent report having savings, with the highest level of savings among those in minority settlements (24 per cent),” the polls read.

Chart by NDI Georgia.

The polls have revealed healthcare as another top concern for Georgians.

While the majority of Georgians report satisfaction with the accessibility and quality of healthcare, they are concerned by the high costs of both care and medicine,” the polls read. 

Laura Thornton, NDI senior director, says that people are ‘sending messages to the government.’ 

Georgians hold the government responsible for their poor economic well-being, sending an urgent signal to Georgian leaders to develop and present concrete plans for inclusive growth and employment,” she said. 

The results reflect data collected from July 13-29, 2019, through face-to-face interviews with a nationwide representative sample of Georgia’s adult population, excluding occupied territories, that included 2,131 completed interviews. The average margin of error is +/- 1.7 percent, NDI says. 

The polls were carried out by CRRC Georgia.