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Barometer of Public Opinion in the Republic of Moldova
Public Opinion Poll
performed by
TheCentre for Sociological, Politological and Psychological
Analysis and Researches CIVIS
commissioned by the
Institute for Public Policy
supported financially by SOROS Foundation Moldova
Press Communiqué
Within the 1st and the 10th of November, 2001, the Centre for Sociological, Politological and Psychological Analysis and Researches CIVIS, carried out the public opinion poll The Barometer of Public Opinion, commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy,
The poll’s sampling constituted 1 104 persons from 68 localities, being representative for the adult population of the Republic of Moldova (excluding the Transnistrian region and the city of Tighina ( Bender). The maximum sampling error was of ± 3 %.
Main results
Economy. General Aspects
48 % of the research sampling consider that matters in our country have a wrong direction, 21% consider the direction is good and 30% could not evaluate if the direction is either good or bad.
The population is mainly not glad of the Government’s activity in what concerns such fields as living standards (88%), wages (88%) and health (86%).
37% of the respondents affirmed that the economical situation in the Republic of Moldova is a little better now compared with last year but 36% said that the situation is the same.
33% of the respondents think that, in a year, the economical situation in the Republic of Moldova will be a little better, 24% consider that the situation will remain the same.
58% of the respondents support the objective to create in the Republic of Moldova a market economy and only 17% are against it. On the other hand, 62% of them give a negative evaluation to the economy existing now in the Republic of Moldova.
To improve the social-economical situation in the country, most of the respondents - 27% - proposed to improve the mechanism for laws implementation; 16% suggested fighting the corruption in the economy and 12% consider that, first of all, the role of the State in ruling the economy should be increased.
Life Quality. Social Issues
The major fears of the population are: poverty ( 26% of the respondents are first afraid of it), the future of the children – 17%, illness – 13% and a war in the region , mentioned first by 12 % of the research sampling.
77% of the respondents are not glad of their way of life. Most of the population are not glad of the medical care (89%), the money they have (88%), the cleanliness and the aspect of their locality (73%) and the political life in the country (58%). The percentage of the population who do not know if they are glad of the political life in the country or not is significatively high – 24%.
48% of the respondents consider that, compared with the last year, their life is now approximately the same; 29% say they live better and 22% - they live worse. 33% of the research sampling hope that they will live better in a year.
41% of the respondents declared that their family revenue does not allow them at least the essential, 41% said it allows them just the essential.
If they won a big amount of money, the respondents would either give it to children, parents (27%) or buy clothes, shoes and food (19%).
In 2001, less than ¼ (23%) of the respondents spent some holiday time in the country (at parents, friends), at the seaside, in the mountains or in an excursion.
71% of the respondents said that they watch TV every day, 57% - listen every day to the radio, 12% - read newspapers every day, 11% - read books every day and 19% declared that they talk about politics every day.
31% of the total number of respondents had to offer presents at the hospital in order to solve some problems, 12% - at school, 5%- at the mayoralty and 4% offered presents at their working place, customs office or police.
62% of the respondents consider that their personal security is not ensured at all, 58% are not sure of their ecological security, 57% - of the economical security, 48% - of their health security, 46% - of the public security and 29% of the respondents think that their political security and food security is not ensured at all.
If they had a real chance to leave Moldova, 19% of the respondents would leave forever and 35% would leave for a while.
Politics
7% of the respondents are interested in politics very much and 22% of them are much interested in politics.
58% of the respondents consider that people like them can not influence or can influence at a very small extent the important decisions to be taken at national level and 39% - at local level.
Concerning the State institutions, the President is given the highest rates of trust (58%). Other State institutions (the army, the mayoralty, the government, and the police, the Parliament) enjoy the trust of less then 45%. As for the civil society institutions, the church and the press enjoy the highest rates of trust (79% and, respectively, 58%). 17% of the respondents trust in the trade unions.
In what concerns the political personalities, Vladimir Voronin (70%), Serafim Urecheanu (43%), Vasile Tarlev (43%), Eugenia Ostapciuc (31%) and Dumitru Braghiş (28%) enjoy the highest trust rates. The highest rates of distrust are given to Mircea Snegur (75%) and Dumitru Diacov (67%).
Most of the population considers that only one political party should exist in the Republic of Moldova: 48% of the respondents are sure of it and 9% are almost sure of this. 79% of the respondents think that the leaders of political parties are only concerned with their welfare and 13% - that parties direct their activity towards improving the life of the population.
28% of the respondents consider that the Communist Party is able to contribute to overpassing the crisis, 26% think that none party is able to do it and 35% do not know if there is any party able to contribute to overpassing the crisis.
If elections had to take place the following Sunday, 39% of the respondents would vote for the Communist Party, 5% - for the Popular Christian Democratic Party, 5% - for Braghiş Alliance, 2% - for the Social Democratic Party and 1% - for the Democratic Party, the Party of Democratic Forces, the Party of Rebirth and Conciliation and the Democratic Agrarian Party. 3% would vote for an independent candidate. 8% would not vote neither for an independent candidate nor for a political party and 34% declared they are not sure whom they would vote for or they do not want to say it.
The nominative vote system is preferred by most of the respondents (52%).
In what concerns the options related to international relations of the Republic of Moldova, 47% of the respondents support the integration in the European Union and 35% would prefer the N.I.S. Community.
34% of the respondents consider as more prior to all different present tasks that Moldova faces the problem of strengthening the State and the order in the State. 26% think that all the attention should be focussed on developing the economy and improving people’s life.
Taking into consideration the attitude towards the status of Russian language in the society, most of the respondents (58%) declared that people can speak either language, but only Moldavian (Romanian) should be an official language. 33% of the respondents think there should be two official languages. On the other hand, most of the respondents (58%) consider that Russian could be studied optionally like any other foreign language and only one third (35%) of the respondents think that Russian should be necessarily studied in all schools.
The Institute for Public Policies is a non-governmental, independent, non-profit organization. Its aim is to contribute to developing in the Republic of Moldova an open, participatory, pluralist, based on democratic value society through making, supporting and sponsoring researches and independent analyses of public policies as well as through public debates and dissemination of these research results.
The activity of the Institute is focussed on the following fields: educational policies, European integration policies and solving the transnistrean problem. Public opinion polls are supposed to be made in all these fields.
The Institute has collaboration relations with organizations and institutions in the field of public policies from many European countries with a view to exchange information and experts, to make comparative studies and to promote regional policies.
Dr. Arcadie Barbăroşie
Executive Director IPP