A Georgian Survey

The Eurasian Institution on August 23 - September 2 held an all-Georgian survey concerning public attitudes to political parties and the country's integration into Nato. All in all, 3068 people took part in the polls. 1133 of them live in Tbilisi, others live in Samegrelo, Ajara, Kvemo, Kartli and other regions. Some 600 people refused to take part in the survey.

The polls were not financed by any political parties or foreign institutions. The survey was carried out by volunteers, mainly local students.  The project was led by the head of the sociology service of the Eurasian Institution, Professor Levan Metreveli, and the head of the Eurasian Institution, Dr. Gulbaat Rtskhiladze. Specialists in sociology, political science and psychology contributed to the project.

The survey was anonymous, respondents were chosen without considering their sex, age or occupation. The proportion of urban to rural dwellers was followed strictly. The questions inculded:

- ratings of political parties
- the population's eagerness to defend their rights
- attitude to Nato

67 per cent of those who support the National Movement believe that Nato and Georgia share common interests. Among supporters of the  ruling United National Revival party the figure is 40 per cent. Only 29 per cent of supporters of the opposition Georgian Dream bloc share the same opinion.

The anti-Nato respondents support the Free Georgia party and the Labour party.

The survey has also shown that many respondents have not decided which party they will vote for at the coming parliamentary elections. There are some indications that they may support Georgian Dream.

In general, the polls showed that Nato's popularity in Georgia is decreasing. However, the majority of Georgians are still in sympathy with the body. 52 per cent of respondents believe that Nato is a defensive organization, and only 12 per cent say that Nato is an aggressive body.

Original text by Levan Metreveli and Gulbaat Rtskhiladze on   http://georgiamonitor.org/detail.php?ID=375