Source: Caucasus Barometer 2017

A recent poll, carried out by the Caucasus Research Resource Center, shows 41% and 45% of respondents support Georgia’s membership in NATO and the European Union, respectively, compared to the Eurasian Economic Union’s 19%.

The Caucasus Barometer 2017, released on Thursday, was conducted through nationwide face-to-face interviews (excluding occupied territories) from September 22 to October 10 with 2,379 respondents and has a margin of error plus, minus 2%.

According to the poll, support for Georgia’s EU and NATO membership has increased by three percentage points compared to the previous survey results in 2015. Back then, support for EU and NATO membership stood at 42% and 38%, respectively.

Support for the Eurasian Economic Union has declined to 19%, a three percentage points change compared to the 2015 figure of 22%.

Asked what their main reason was for supporting NATO membership (of those who support membership), 33% of respondents said Georgia would be “better protected from foreign threats,” followed by 21% who think that the country “would have a better chance to restore its territorial integrity.” 19% of the surveyed think NATO membership would improve people’s economic conditions.

Asked the same question on the European Union (to those who support membership), 46% said EU membership would improve people’s economic conditions. 19% of respondents think it would help strengthen Georgia’s relations with the West, and 10% said the country would have “a better chance to restore its territorial integrity.”

Asked the same question on the Eurasian Economic Union (to those who support membership), 41% of respondents said membership to the Eurasian Economic Union would improve people’s economic conditions. 24% of respondents think it would help strengthen the country’s relations with Russia, and 12% think the country would have “a better chance to restore its territorial integrity.”

The poll surveyed public attitudes on Georgia’s neutrality as well, with 31% of respondents saying they “strongly agree” that the country’s neutrality could help resolve conflicts and improve Georgia’s stability.

According to the survey results, the number of respondents who described Russia as the main enemy of Georgia is 40%. The corresponding figure for Turkey stands at 3%. 25% of respondents named the United States as Georgia’s main friend, followed by Azerbaijan and Ukraine with 7% each and Turkey and Russia with 6% each.