Survey of Serbian Public Opinion in 2015

The majority of respondents, 50%, believe Serbia is headed in the wrong direction, while 38% think it is headed in the right direction. The remaining 12% are unsure. Serbs are concerned about the economy, with 42% citing it as the most urgent problem facing the country. The second most pressing issue is corruption, with 24% of respondents naming it as the second most urgent problem. The third most significant concern is democracy, with 22% of respondents identifying it as the third most urgent problem. Corruption is viewed as a severe issue, with 98% of respondents in July 2015 stating that it is a very serious problem. The perception of corruption has remained high over the years, with 96% of respondents in February 2014 and 95% in March 2012 also considering it a very serious issue. The majority of respondents believe that the government is not doing enough to address corruption. In July 2015, 45% of respondents stated that the government is just pretending to fight corruption, while 31% believe that they are doing everything they can but are not making significant progress. Only 6% of respondents think that the government is successfully fighting corruption. When asked to prioritize between a democratic system of government and a prosperous economy, 83% of respondents stated that a democratic system is more important to them. However, 12% of respondents believe that a prosperous economy is more important. In the next elections, 51% of respondents would vote for someone who is a strong leader, while 60% would vote for someone who would democratically distribute power. The remaining 33% are unsure. The survey was conducted by Ipsos Strategic Marketing on behalf of the International Republican Institute between July 4-15, 2015. The sample consisted of 1,426 Serbian residents, aged 18 years and older, with an oversample of 543 collected in the Vojvodina province. The margin of error is 2.84% for the total sample and 4.61% for the Vojvodina sample.