NDI poll: top three gov’t spending priorities for Georgians are healthcare, education and pensions
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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.
Georgian approval for membership in the EU is at 75 percent and in NATO at 65 percent. However, Georgians are mixed about the country’s direction, NDI says.
The US National Democratic Institute (NDI), together with the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC Georgia), has published the political section of its survey today, which reads that the majority of those surveyed support the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party.
The most recent polls released by the US National Democratic Institute (NDI) show that 72 percent of the surveyed people approve Georgia’s membership in the EU, while 64 percent believe Georgia’s NATO membership should be the state priority.
The public poll results released the by National Democratic Institute (NDI) and CRRC Georgia today report that the biggest majority of the surveyed people support the government’s goal to join NATO and the EU.
The survey released today by the US National Democratic Institute (NDI) branch in Georgia says that 92 percent of Georgians believe that living in a democratic country is important, and that a majority believe a western-style democracy is best for the country.
The most recent polls published by the Georgian office of the US National Democratic Institute (NDI) reads that a total of 77 per cent of Georgians approve joining the EU, with 56 per cent strongly approving.
Georgians place insufficient progress at the top national issue of concern, believing the situation regarding poverty, crime, territorial integrity, and education has got worse over the last 10 years, a poll released by the National Democratic Institute and the Georgian office of the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) earlier today show.