The FINANCIAL — Georgians are more trusting of the EU than their own government, including both the Parliament and political parties. NATO is also a bit more trusted than any Georgian institution, but the United Nations falls a bit behind. When compared to their Eastern European neighbors, Georgians are more trusting of every institution.
Georgian Opinion Research Business International and TNS opinion just finished the most recent wave of the EU Neighborhood barometer, which polls all the countries in the EU’s immediate area. GORBI was specifically responsible for asking people in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and the three Caucasian countries about their attitudes toward the EU, their own countries’ situations, and their general predictions for the future. For this project, the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument, these countries are collectively known as the ENPI East.
Faith at Home — Contrary to many countries in the East (and the West, for that matter), Georgia is very trusting nation. 65% said they trusted the government in general and 62% trust the Parliament specifically. Much like the East and West though, Georgia is less trusting of political parties themselves; less than half (46%) expressed their faith in parties.
The ENPI East countries generally followed the same trend, expressing the most faith in their respective governments, averaging 39% trust. Country Parliaments were runners-up with 31% trust ratings, and political parties sat at the bottom with an unimpressive 22% stating any kind of confidence.
Faith in Europe — European Institutions garner far more trust from all the ENPI East countries than do their own governments, and this is particularly true in Georgia. The highest trust rating given to a Western entity was to the European Union, with 71% of Georgians having faith (6% more than in their own government), along with51% of the East.
The next step down in Georgian trust ratings is NATO; 66% of Georgians trust its intentions and activities. This is Georgia’s one departure from the remaining ENPI East countries, where the average trust in NATO is comparable to political parties: 26%. This is understandable for the ENPI East, as recent history remembers that NATO was created as a military counter against the Soviet Union, and therefore against the then-Bloc countries.
Georgia so thoroughly rejected its soviet ties after the collapse that they have overlooked this conflicted past. One has only to stroll downtown Tbilisi to find a sign that states flatly, “Our foreign policy priority is the integration into NATO.” Use of articles aside, this sign and the marketing crusade around it certainly have something to do with Georgians’ atypical trust in the institution.
Finally, 61% of Georgians and 39% of the greater ENPI East trust the United Nations. The UN’s third place status in Georgia, and second place in the East, may have something to do with familiarity. All the countries surveyed are already insiders, and when you see how the sausage is made you’re a little more dubious of the product.
All data in this article have margins of error of around 3% with 95% confidence. Visit our website at gorbi.com for more articles.
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