Republic of Serbia
Government
European Integration Office
EUROPEAN ORIENTATION OF SERBIAN
CITIZENS
TRENDS
Presentation of public poll results
(December 2010)
www.seio.gov.rs
Research methodology
Realisation:
Research
sample:
Sample
size:
Field research carried out from 17 – 23 December 2010
Serbian citizens older than 18
1030 interviewees
Three-stage stratified sample
First stage unit: territory of polling station
Sample type:
Second stage unit: households
Third stage unit: interviewees in households
Marginal error
+/- 3.31%
Type of
research:
Direct , at interviewee’s home
If a referendum was organised tomorrow as to “Whether
you support our country’s accession to the European
Union”, how would you vote
I would vote for
I wouldn't vote
Sep 02.
I would vote against
Doesn't know, refuses to answer
68%
13%
10% 9%
Dec 03.
72%
8% 12%
Sep 04.
71%
12%
Sep 05.
64%
12%
70%
12%
Jun 07.
69%
15%
Nov 07.
66%
May 08.
67%
Dec 08.
May 09.
17%
16%
Sep 06.
8%
18%
15%
18%
12%
9%
16%
14%
7%
61%
13%
16%
9%
59%
17%
14%
10%
Dec 09.
65%
14%
16%
Jun 10.
65%
15%
15% 6%
Dec 10.
57%
18%
20%
6%
5%
Why would you vote against? Please indicate one reason
for voting against our country’s EU accession?
(spontaneously indicated answers)
Base: those who would vote against, 18% of target population
Nothing good achieved/more damage than
benefit
We will live worse/ economic degradation/
endebtedness
28%
14%
Conditioning, pressure,
10%
I don't trust them/I don't want to enter the
EU/I don't like EU
Negative experience of other countries/EU
has no future
We would become a colony/loss of
sovereignty, independence
10%
8%
8%
Loss of identity
5%
Serbia's enemies/they bombed us
5%
Not realistic, we are not ready to enter the
EU
Conditioning by Kosovo, the Hague
4%
3%
Other
Don't know
4%
2%
In your opinion, are the reforms required for EU accession to be
conducted primarily for meeting the requirements set out by the EU or
should they be carried out even if EU did not impose them, for creation of
better Serbia – for ourselves?
Тhе reforms should be carried out
even if they were not a requirement for
EU accession, for creating a better
Serbia, for ourselves
72%
63%
78%
14%
Reforms required for EU accession
should be carried out primarily since
this is the fulfillment of EU accession
requirements
12%
Dec. 2009
12%
June 2010
5%
Such reforms need not be carried out
at all
Dec. 2010
3%
3%
9%
Doesn’t know, refuses to answer
22%
7%
Which of the following reforms do you consider as most
important? – on top position
39%
Combating corruption
13%
Better human rights protection
Health system reform
10%
Agricultural reform
10%
9%
Justice system reform
Education system reform
5%
Consumer protection
5%
Environmental protection
2%
MP's ownership over their mandates
1%
None of them is important
Doesn't know - refuses to answer
3%
5%
Our country’s current pace towards the European Union
and the desired pace
7
6
5
4.9
5
5.2
5.4
4.9
4.8
4.8
5
4.6
4.7
4.7
4.7
4.7
4.6
4.1
4
3.4
3.4
3.1
3
2.7
2.5
2.6
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.7
3.1
2.9
2.5
2.7
2.6
2
Current pace
Desired pace
1
Sep
02.
Dec
02.
Dec
03.
Jun 04.
Sep
04.
Sep
05.
Sep
06.
Jun 07. Nov 07. May 08.
Dec
08.
May 09.
Dec
09.
Jun 10.
Dec
10.
Do you personally feel as a European citizen?
No
Sep. 2006.
Jun 2007.
Nov. 2007.
May 2008.
Yes and no
37%
32%
20%
26%
36%
26%
23%
24%
Yes
43%
42%
41%
49%
Dec. 2008.
35%
26%
38%
May 2009.
35%
24%
40%
Dec. 2009.
Jun 2010.
Dec. 2010.
29%
34%
40%
27%
44%
27%
21%
39%
38%
Thinking about yourself, do you feel more like…
46%
Citizen of Serbia
Citizen of your
home town
25%
Member of your
nation, your ethnic
community
Citizen of Europe
Member of your
religion
16%
7%
6%
Which of the following statements best describe
your idea of European Union citizen?
71%
Right to work in any European Union country
Right to permanent stay in any European Union
country
51%
43%
Opportunity to study in any European country
Opportunity to use health protection and social
assistance anywhere in the European Union
31%
Right to vote in local elections in your residence
country, regardless of nationality
16%
Right to vote in elections for European
Parliament in your residence country,
regardless of nationality
14%
Right to vote in general elections in the member
state of your residence and which is not your
mother country
Doesn't know - refuses to answer
10%
1%
To what extent are You personally prepared
to do the following with a view to accede to the EU
Further education,
requalify, specialise
44%
41%
42%
40%
39%
38%
38%
37%
37%
36%
36%
34.70%
34%
33%
39%
38%
39%
39%
35%
33%
42%
34%
Live for (another)
period with
unfavourable living
standard
31%
31%
29%
30%
30%
Change previous
living habits
27%
24%
22%
20%
Sep 06.
20%
21%
21%
19%
19%
Jun 07. Nov 07. May 08. Dec 08.
May 09. Dec 09.
Jun 10. Dec 10.
Change previous
working habits
(working hours,
vacation, benefits)
In your opinion, what areas of society will most benefit once
our country accedes to the European Union?
Large business
35%
Public administration
30%
Education system
27%
Small and medium
enterprises
23%
Industry
21%
Health system
20%
Agriculture
16%
Justice system
Social care
None
13%
8%
14%
In your opinion, what areas of society
will lose the most once our country accedes to the European
Union?
45%
Agriculture
Small and medium
enterprises
20%
Industry
19%
Social protection
19%
15%
Public administration
Health system
11%
Education system
11%
Large business
Justice system
None
10%
8%
18%
What do you think most hampers/slows down
our country’s European Union accession?
* In December 2010, option “ Current situation in the very European Union” was added
49%
49%
Policy of constant conditioning
applied by the EU towards our
country
50%
Incapability of domestic
leadership
45%
43%
43%
38%
Failure to meet the undertaken
international commitments
Mentality of our people and
unpreparedness for change
24%
20%
20%
19%
20%
14%
20%
18%
17%
16%
13%
14%
10%
12%
7%
6%
7%
7%
17%
15%
13%
10%
19%
12%
12%
9%
7%
6%
13%
3%
3%
Desire of certain domestic
politicians and parties not to
13% progress towards the European
Union
12%
Current situation in the
European Union itself
6%
15%
5%
0%
Jun 07. Nov 07. May 08. Dec 08. May 09. Dec 09.
Jun 10.
Objective obstacles
(comprehensive reforms in all
areas that need to be
undertaken)
Dec 10.
Some think that the European Union will constantly
impose new conditions that Serbia will hardly meet.
What is your opinion?
May 2008.
50%
33%
17%
Dec 2008.
63%
26%
11%
May 2009.
66%
24%
11%
Dec 2009.
56%
32%
12%
Jun 2010.
57%
30%
13%
Dec 2010.
61%
32%
7%
European Union will
certainly and
constantly impose
new conditions that
Serbia will hardly
meet
European Union has
clearly defined the
conditions and it will
certainly not impose
new conditions
I don't know
If our country was already a member of the EU, would we
overcome the economic crisis more easily, more difficult or
nothing would change/it would be the same?
The crisis would
be more easily
overcome
27%
28%
Jun 2010.
15%
It would be even
more difficult
17%
47%
It would be the
same
Doesn't know refuses to
answer
December 2010.
49%
11%
7%
How do you observe the future of European Union?
EU will overcome
current problems
but it will be
changed, hence
our EU
membership will
not mean the
same to us as it
does now
11%
EU will meet ever
greater problems
in future and
probably become
completely
confined or even
disintegrated
rather than
enlarged and
strengthened
30%
Doesn't know,
has no opinion
12%
EU will overcome
current
problems, it will
continue to
enlarge and it
has a bright
future
20%
EU will probably
manage to
overcome
current
problems, but it
will be
increasingly
confined and
more difficult to
accept the new
members
27%
Are you familiar with the current status of our country’s
accession negotiations with the European Union?
Doesn't know refuses to
answer
18%
Serbia was
handed over
the
Questionnaire
for EU's avis
39%
Serbia is
negotiating on
accession to
the European
Union
36%
Serbia has
already become
a candidate for
EU membership
7%
How will Serbia benefit from the candidate status?
37%
Better life, new jobs
32%
Better image of Serbia
More administrative obligations, higher
prices and taxes
27%
26%
Access to European funds
21%
More safety
Nothing good
Doesn't know
15%
10%
How informed are you regarding
our country’s EU association process?
Not informed at
all
14%
Poorly informed
38%
Sum: not
informed
52%
Neither informed
nor uninformed
30%
Sum: informed
19%
Rather informed
Very well
informed
17%
2%
How informed are you regarding the European Union funds?
Not informed at
all
60%
25%
Poorly informed
Sum: not
informed
85%
Neither informed
nor uninformed
Sum: informed
Rather informed
Very well
informed
13%
3%
2%
0%
Do you know, approximately,
the annual allocations for Serbia from EU funds? (spontaneously
indicated answers)
Base: those informed, 16% of target population
Very much
3%
Billions of euro
2%
200-300 million
2%
A few hundred millions of euro
2%
50 million euro
2%
10 billion euro
2%
60 million euro
1%
10 million euro
1%
140-150 million euro
1%
Around one billion euro
1%
194 million euro
1%
Doesn't know - refuses to answer
82%
Who is the most responsible for your lack of information
regarding our country’s EU accession process?
Media, they do
not pay sufficient
attention to the
topic
18%
Other
3%
Serbian
Government, for
insufficient
information to
citizens
16%
Myself, since I do
not sufficiently
follow relevant
information
63%
What type of TV show on European Union would most likely
catch your attention?
Shows on experiences of "ordinary
citizens" in the European Union
accession process
56%
Short informative shows on particular
EU-related topics
32%
Expert talks on European Union topics
(roundtable, debates etc.)
24%
Specialised informative and educational
shows on European Union
Report on daily political events in relation
to European Union within informative
shows
I am not interested/I wouldn't try to get
informed
21%
16%
14%
Young people, relative to population average, have more positive
attitude to EU: much higher percentage would vote FOR EU
accession and they anticipate personal and general benefit from
EU accession to a greater extent
% that would vote FOR
EU accession in a
referendum
% anticipating
personal benefit from
EU accession
% anticipating
general benefit
from EU accession
62%
71%
57%
59%
45%
18 - 29
Population
average
36%
Population
average
18 - 29
Population
average
18 - 29
Republic of Serbia
Government
European Integration Office
www.seio.gov.rs
Thank you for your attention!