Presentation of Telephone Survey Results: Opinion and Perception of the State Election Commission

Fifty percent of the respondents believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction, while 21% think it is moving in the right direction. The remaining 24.7% of respondents are undecided, and 3.9% refused to answer or did not know. There is a significant difference in the perception of the direction in which Macedonia is moving among Macedonian and Albanian respondents. Almost three-quarters of Albanian respondents (73.2%) believe that Macedonia is moving in the wrong direction, compared to 45% of Macedonian respondents. Conversely, 24% of Macedonian respondents believe that Macedonia is moving in the right direction, while only 11% of Albanian respondents share this opinion. The perception of the direction in which Macedonia is moving also varies by age group. The highest percentage of respondents who think that Macedonia is moving in the right direction (30%) are aged 55 to 64 years. In contrast, almost 60% of respondents aged 18 to 24 years believe that Macedonia is moving in the wrong direction. A trend analysis of the survey results shows that the percentage of respondents who believe Macedonia is moving in the wrong direction is increasing over time. In April 2016, 40.3% of respondents held this view, which increased to 44.7% in June 2016 and 50.4% in September 2016. Conversely, the percentage of respondents who believe Macedonia is moving in the right direction has remained relatively stable, with 31% in April 2016, 21% in June 2016, and 21% in September 2016. The demographic structure of the respondents is as follows: 58.4% live in urban areas, while 41.6% reside in rural areas. The majority of respondents (70.5%) are Macedonian, followed by Albanian respondents (24.7%), and other ethnic groups (4.8%). The respondents are predominantly female (52.4%), with an average age of 51 years. The majority of respondents (57.6%) have a secondary education level, while 21.7% have a higher education level. In terms of employment status, 35.3% of respondents are employed full-time, while 21.1% are unemployed. The average monthly household income is 19,000 denars. The perception of the way elections are held in Macedonia is also a topic of interest. However, the available data does not provide sufficient information to draw conclusions on this topic.