On 18 September, the National Democratic Institute published their research results on public opinion in Georgia, conducted between 13-29 July. The main findings were that the perception of the country’s policy direction is at its worst in a decade; that there is an extreme dissatisfaction about the state of the country’s economy; that the majority of Georgian citizens are satisfied with the healthcare system, but find it too costly; that the Georgian parliament should consist of  at least 30% women and introduce mandatory gender quotas; and that support for European and Euro-Atlantic integration is still very stable. 2.131 interviews were conducted, with a response rate of 41%. The average margin of error of the results is around +/- 1.7%.

When it comes to the country’s direction, 49% of respondents thought that the country is going in the wrong direction, 30% that Georgia is not changing at all, and only 18% believed that the country is going in the right direction. The research also found a strong correlation between the population’s dissatisfaction with the country’s policy and the Georgian Lari (GEL) devaluation towards the US dollar (Caucasus Watch reported). The top national issues remained the same since 2009 with jobs (48%), rising prices/inflation (34%), poverty (33%), territorial integrity (29%), pensions (22%) and wages (19%) topping the list.

In terms of economic indicators, 63% of respondents summarized the current economic situation in Georgia as bad, 31% as average, and only 4% as good. 70% of the people believed that the economy  only benefits a certain group of people and only 12% stated that it benefits everyone in the country. 84% hold the Georgian government accountable for the economic situation in the country, followed only by 2% by the parliament and 1% by the global economic situation. According to the polls, the major economic assets of Georgia are tourism (48%), agriculture (31%), industry (6%) and financial services (3%).

In terms of Georgia’s foreign policy, 78% supported the country’s European integration efforts, while 14% did not support it and 8% did not have an opinion. In terms of joining NATO, 71% of the questioned approved the notion, 17% disapproved with it, and 11% did not state their opinion. The participants were also asked about their thoughts on the dissolution of the Soviet Union, 49% thought it was a good thing for Georgia, 41% considered it to be bad and 10% did not have an opinion.

The National Democratic Institute is an American-based non-profit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world. The NDI and its local partners work to promote openness and accountability in government by building political and civic organizations, safeguarding elections, and promoting citizen participation. The research in Georgia was conducted with the aid of the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) Georgia and with the funding of the United Kingdom embassy in Tbilisi and UKaid.