Indifference towards EU; concern about the war in Ukraine
The citizens of Serbia are less and less interested in Serbia’s future in the EU, while the attitude towards the war in Ukraine shifts. These are the results of CRTA’s field research of public opinion, done from September 24th to October 3rd.
More than a third of citizens (36%) would be indifferent towards accession to the EU, while 28% would be glad, and 33% would be concerned. An even bigger percentage, 43%, would be indifferent towards rupture of EU accession negotiations.
This is concerning because of the discrepancy between these and the findings from May this year, when the last public opinion poll was done. There is a noticeable rise of indifference towards EU integration. Data from this research should be observed through the lens of the media ambience in the country – most of the citizens use pro-government media outlets to keep informed about the socio-political situation. According to CRTA’s findings, anti-western narratives dominate these media.
Citizens are worried that they will suffer even greater consequences of the war in Ukraine; as much as 93% are expecting that the winter will bring a new surge in grocery prices, as well as an increase in electricity and fuel prices. Almost two-thirds are fearing power cuts and lack of heating. Socio-economic situation is the greatest source of concern for most of the citizens (43%). According to 39% of the citizens, Serbia is going down a bad road, while 33% believe that our country is on the right path.
Research also shows that the majority of Serbia’s citizens (64%) believe that the West, composed of the USA, NATO and the EU, is the most responsible for the war in Ukraine. As much as 71% of citizens believe that the West is pressuring Serbia to turn its back to Russia, and a bit more than a quarter (27%) that Russia is pressuring us to leave the EU path. Also, 61% of the citizens are of the opinion that our country needs to preserve good relations with Russia, even if that means giving up the EU.
Nonetheless, there is a visible change in the public opinion about the war in Ukraine, compared to the first months of the invasion. More than half of the citizens (58%) said that they are leaning towards Russia in this conflict, while a fifth (22%) chooses Ukraine. Support for Ukraine grew in 10% compared to May 2022, when it was at a mere 12%, while the support for Russia remains stagnant. There is a mild increase of those that are pro imposing sanctions on Russia – this idea is now supported by every fifth citizen.
This research in whole in English can be found here.
