Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for the foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union, said that the recent poll only underlines what was obvious all along – the overwhelming majority of the Georgian population has clear European aspirations.
„Only yesterday the Foreign Ministers of the EU Member States discussed in Luxembourg (together with Georgia’s Foreign Minister) the historic opportunity in terms of Georgia’s European perspective, but also the need to strengthen the principles of democracy in the country, and encouraged the Georgian authorities to continue the important work on reforms and send positive signals to Brussels and to Member States’ in delivering on the set of priorities on the accession process, which will be important for assessing the possibility to grant Georgia candidate status“, - Stano told Europetime.
A new nationwide poll conducted in Georgia by the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) shows strong support for EU membership, disapproval of Russian citizens within the country, and a lack of faith in political parties, IRI Georgia reports.
According to IRI, when asked about the European Union (EU), 89% of Georgians either “fully support” or “somewhat support” joining the alliance. This represents an increase of four percentage points from the most recent poll, matching an all-time high.
"It’s explicitly clear that Georgians want to join the European Union and continue their integration with Western, democratic institutions," said Steve Nix, Senior Director for Eurasia at IRI. "It’s now incumbent upon leaders in the government to deliver what the people want."
"Georgians are also weary of the Russian presence in their country. 79% oppose visa-free travel for Russians, Russians registering businesses in Georgia, or Russians buying property in Georgia.
This survey was conducted on behalf of IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research by Dr. Rasa Alisauskiene of the public and market research company Baltic Surveys/The Gallup Organization between March 4 and March 23, 2023. The fieldwork was conducted by the Institute of Polling and Marketing. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews in respondents’ homes. The sample consists of 1,500 Georgians aged 18+ and eligible to vote. The data was weighted for age, gender, region, and settlement size. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points and the response rate was 63 per cent.
This survey was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)," reads the press release.
