Majority of Georgians Support EU Membership

The latest data released by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) shows Georgia’s attitude towards EU membership.

The survey highlights that although the percentage of supporters has decreased from 78% in 2013 to 61% in 2015, Georgia’s EU membership is still highly supported.

The survey, led by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Embassy of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia, was conducted by CRRC Georgia.

More than 60% of the interviewees have heard of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and 49% of the respondents note that they would like more information about the EU.

The question, “Who can best help Georgia – the EU, the United States or Russia?” 33% answered the EU, 24% Russia and 17% said the US. At the same time, however, 61% of the population believe the EU’s assistance to Georgia is not executed well.

According to the survey, knowledge of the EU and its institutions, among ethnic minority populations compactly residing in the Georgian regions, is considerably low when compared to the rest of the country.

For instance, 66% of Georgian speakers and only 26% of ethnic minorities are aware of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. A similar ratio is seen with the support of EU membership, with 64% of Georgian speakers and 35% of ethnic minorities supporting Georgia’s EU membership.

The Eurasia Partnership Foundation has announced that an analytical report, highlighting some of the interesting findings and trends over the past seven years, will be presented in both English and Georgian on November 25th, 2015.