IRI polls: 26% would vote for ruling party, 22% for UNM

A recently released IRI polls read that 26 per cent of those surveyed would vote for the Georgian Dream ruling party (GD) and 22 per cent for the United National Movement (UNM) opposition if the elections were held tomorrow.

All the charts by IRI Georgia.

Leader of the European Georgia opposition David Bakradze and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze from GD were ranked the most liked politicians. 

Seventy-three percent of Georgians identified unemployment as one of the biggest problems facing the country, followed by the cost of living (34 per cent) and poverty (28 per cent). 

Consistent with last year’s findings, 40 percent of Georgians noted that their financial situation has remained unchanged over the last 12 months, and 49 per cent of those surveyed said that their financial situation has worsened over the same period,” IRI said.

The survey revealed that Georgians are concerned about the ongoing poor state of relations with Russia. 

Some 71 percent of Georgians said that Russia’s aggression towards 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,” reads the survey.

Most of the surveyed individuals support Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic goals, reaching almost 70 per cent.

The activities of the church, army and the Georgian media have been named as the most favorable by those interviewed.  

People named improved healthcare, visa free travel with the EU and freedom of speech as the three top achievements of the current government.

This survey does not reflect views that may have formed after the protests that began on June 20. 

The polls were 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 representative sample consisted of 1,500 permanent residents of Georgia aged 18 or older and eligible to vote.

See the survey here.