Caucasus Barometer (CB)

Public Perceptions on Political, Social, and Economic issues in

South Caucasus Countries

Some findings from the CRRC 2012 data

March, 2013
Yerevan
CRRC Armenia
crrc@crrc.am
www.crrc.am
www.crrccenters.org
Where We Survey
South Caucasus
Caucasus Barometer 2012
 Methodology
• Over 2,000 people in each South Caucasus country (a
total of 6,715 respondents)
• Representative of total adult (18+) population
• Proportional representation of demographic and
geographic groups
• Multi-stage cluster sampling, sampling error is ± 1.4%
• Household selection: Random walk method
• Respondent selection: Kish table
• Face-to-face interviews in local languages
• Survey period: October to November, 2012
 Content
• Domestic politics: thoughts and actions
• Genocide and Armenian-Turkish relations
• Joseph Stalin – is he still alive?
• Living standards and migration trends
• Views on the outside world: international
relations and organizations
• Level of happiness
• Demographics
 INTERNAL POLITICS:
ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR
 P1. Direction the country's domestic politics are going. (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

2
Politics is definitely going in the right direction 14
12

11
Politics is going mainly in the right direction 25
39

29
Politics does not change at all 27
13

20
Politics is going mainly in the wrong direction 9
6

20
Politics is definitely going in the wrong direction 5
1

18
Don't know 21
30
 ARMENIA
P1. In which direction is Armenia's domestic politics going? (%)
(CB 2012)
2012 2011 2010

2
Politics is definitely going in the right direction 3
3

11
Politics is going mainly in the right direction 11
15

29
Politics does not change at all 25
32

20
Politics is going mainly in the wrong direction 15
23

20
Politics is definitely going in the wrong direction 20
14

18
Don't know 25
14
 P5. What is the most important issue
facing your country at the moment? (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

46
Unemployment 21
51
16
Poverty 8
11
13
Other 5
11
6
Rising prices / Inflation 3
2
6
Low wages 5
2
5
Corruption 6
0.3
4
Unsolved territorial conflicts 45
7
3
Low pensions 6
4
1
Unaffordability of healthcare 1
7
0
Relations with Russia 0.1
4
0
Not having NATO membership (only for Georgia) 0
0.4
 ARMENIA
P5. What is the most important issue facing your country at the moment? (%)
(CB 2012)
2010 2011 2012

46

1. Unemployment 45

46

10

2. Poverty 16

16
 ARMENIA
P4. Trust towards institutions...(%)
(CB 2012)
Fully trust Somewhat trust Neither trust nor distrust Somewhat distrust Fully distrust Don't know

Religious institutions 41 35 12 3 6 3
Army 32 34 13 7 11 3
Local government 11 24 28 12 22 4
Banks 10 34 23 11 14 8
UN 10 20 31 7 14 18
EU 9 21 29 8 15 18
Ombudsman 9 20 29 8 15 20
Educational system 9 34 24 12 16 5
Healthcare system 8 30 24 15 21 2
President 7 21 27 14 27 5
Police 6 24 26 14 26 4
Media 4 21 41 14 17 3
Executive government 4 16 28 17 30 5
Court system 4 13 26 16 28 13
NGOs 4 17 31 12 17 19
Parliament 3 13 27 18 32 6
Political Parties 2 10 29 20 32 7
 ARMENIA
P16. If presidential elections were held next sunday, would you
participate in the elections? (%)
(CB 2012)
Certainly participate Most probably participate Most probably not participate
Certainly not participate Don't know

68 68
64

16 15 16
12 11 11
6 4
2 2 3 2

2010 2011 2012

 ARMENIA
P17. Did you vote in the most recent national elections? (%)
(CB 2012)
Yes No

80

20
 P9. Under the present government in your country, how much do you agree that
people like yourself are treated fairly by the government? (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

2
Completely agree 16
10

18
Somewhat agree 35
40

33
Somewhat disagree 22
19

38
Completely disagree 19
3

10
Don't know 9
29
 ARMENIA
P9. Under the current government, how much do you agree that people like
yourself are treated fairly by the government? (%)
(CB 2010-2012)
Completely agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Completely disagree Don't know

2012 2 18 33 38 10

2011 2 17 34 39 9

2010 4 18 37 35 6
 ARMENIA
P15. How much do you agree in the follwoing statements? (%)

Statement 1: People should participate in protest actions against the government, as

this shows the government that the people are in charge.
Statement 2: People should not participate in protest actions against the government, as it
threatens stability in our country.

2012 2011 2010

30
Agree very strongly with Statement 1 26
34
36
Agree with Statement 1 30
30
3
Agree with neither 5
4
16
Agree with Statement 2 21
18
4
Agree very strongly with Statement 2 10
8
11
Don't know 9
6
 P10. Do people like yourself have the right to openly say
what they think in your country today? (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

70

Yes 49

66

25

No 39

16

Don't know 13

18
 P2. How well do TV journalists in your country inform the population about
what is actually going on in the country?
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

50

42

34

28

21
19
16
14
11 12
9
8 8 8 7
6
4 4

Very well Quite well In the middle Quite poorly Very poorly Don't know
 P21. How much of a democracy is Armenia today? (%)
(CB)
2012 2011

5
A full democracy
7

18
A democracy but with minor problems
30

35
A democracy but with major problems
31

28
Not a democracy
18

15
Don't know
14
 ARMENIA
P22. Which of these three statements is closest to your own opinion? (%)
(CB 2012)
2012 2011

52
Democracy is preferable to any other kind of government
58

In some circumstances, a non-democratic government can 13

be preferred
11

For someone like me, it doesn’t matter what kind of 19

government 16

15
Don't know
15
JOSEPH STALIN –
IS HE ALIVE?
 ST1. Which of the words best describes your attitude towards Stalin? (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

3
Admiration 2
3
16
Respect 13
27
6
Sympathy 6
15
25
Indifference 15
15
15
Antipathy, irritation 6
9
8
Fear 11
7
12
Disgust, hatred 16
4
8
I do not know who Stalin is 22
5
6
Don't know 8
13
 ST2. Would you like to live and work in a country ruled by a person like
Stalin? (%)
(CB 2012)
Russia Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

34
56
Defenitly no
50
50

33
16
Propably no
23
13

13
11
Probably yes
10
11

5
11
Defenitly yes
5
13

15
6
Don't know/Refuse to answer
13
13
 ARMENIA
ST3. How much do you agree in the following statement? (%)
(CB 2012)
Completely agree Mostly agree Mostly disagree Completely disagree Don't know

Our people will always have need of a leader like Stalin 24 14 16 34 12

Stalin was a cruel tyrant, responsible for the deaths of

49 21 10 8 13
millions

Under Stalin's leadership, the Soviet people won the Great

39 30 10 10 11
Patriotic War

Stalin was a wise leader who brought power and prosperity

28 28 13 20 12
to the Soviet Union
 ST5. In your opinion, can the sacrifices of the Soviet people under the rule
of Stalin be justified by the results achieved in the short period of time? (%)
(CB 2012)
Definitely justified Justified to a certain extent Definitely cannot be justified
Don't know Refuse to answer

Armenia 5 27 47 20

Azerbaijan 7 20 50 20 3

Georgia 5 24 45 25 2
 ECONOMIC SITUATION:
EMPLOYMENT, INCOME, AND
MIGRATION
 ARMENIA
A7_R. Are you currently employed? (%)
(CB 2012)

Yes No

61 59 58

41 42
40

2010 2011 2012

 ARMENIA
D16. If you had a chance, would you leave your country forever to live
somewhere else? (%)
(CB 2012)
Yes No Don't know

26
2012 71
3

23
2011 74
3

26
2010 73
2

21
2009 76
2
 ARMENIA
D15. If you had a chance, would you leave your country for a certain period
of time to live somewhere else? (%)
(CB 2012)
Yes No Don't know

54
2012 45
2

56
2011 43
1

59
2010 40
1

51
2009 48
1
 ARMENIA
C13. Relative to most of the households around you, would you describe the
current economic condition of your household as (%)
(CB 2012)
2012 2011 2010

1
Very good 1
1

13
Good 11
13

70
Fair 69
66

13
Poor 16
15

2
Very poor 3
5
 J15. Do you currently have a bank account or a bank card? (%)
(CB 2012)
Yes No

35
2012
65
Armenia

21
2011
79

38
2012
Azerbaijan

62

20
2011
80

48
2012
52
Georgia

45
2011
55
 C8. Household's spending last month. (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

4
Up to USD 50 0
4

14
USD 51– 100 1
18

33
USD 101 – 250 21
34

21
USD 251 – 400 33
17

16
More than USD 400 33
11

8
DK 10
10

5
RA 1
6
 D4. Frequency of internet use (%)
(CB 2012)
Every day At least once a week At least once a month
Less often Never I don't know what the Internet is

2012 33 11 3 6 46 2
Armenia

2011 25 10 3 5 56 2

2010 19 9 3 8 60 1

2012 11 8 3 5 61 12
Azerbaijan

2011 8 7 3 7 64 12

2010 4 6 4 9 56 22

2012 26 9 2 8 49 6
Georgia

2011 25 9 3 8 50 6

2010 18 9 3 11 55 5
 D3. Level of Ability in Russian, English and using a Computer (%)
(CB 2012)
Advanced Intermediate Beginner No basic knowledge

78
73

66

59 60
57

50
46

32
28 29 26
24 24
19 20 21
16 16 17
13 13 12 12 12
11 11 10
9 8 9
5 4 5 4
1

Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

Russian English Computer
VIEWS ON THE OUTSIDE WORLD:
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
AND RELATIONS
 ARMENIA
N9. Approval of people of your ethnicity in
doing business with... (%)
(CB 2012)
Male Female

Armenians 93
93

Russians 86
83

Americans 77
71

English 74
70

Greeks 72
66

Georgians 72
65

Jews 68
60

Kurds, Yazidis 63
57

Turks 43
35

Azerbaijanis 36
27
 N9. Approve or disapprove of people of your ethnicity doing business with
Russians? (%)
(CB)
Approve Disapprove DK/RA

2012 84 13 3
Armenia

2011 86 11 3

2010 90 9

2009 91 7

2012 81 17 2
Azerbaijan

2011 71 27 2

2010 67 28 4

2009 62 33 4

2012 84 13 3

2011 76 18 6
Georgia

2010 73 21 6

2009 76 18 6
 N10. Approve or disapprove of women of your ethnicity marrying
Russians? (%)
(CB)
Approve Disapprove DK/RA

2012 40 59
Armenia

2011 47 52

2010 49 50

2009 53 46

2012 9 91
Azerbaijan

2011 9 91

2010 10 89

2009 10 87 3

2012 47 49 4

2011 41 53 6
Georgia

2010 42 55 3

2009 41 57 2
 P4. Trust in institutions (%)
(CB 2012)
Fully trust Somewhat trust Neither trust nor distrust Somewhat distrust Fully distrust Don't know

Armenia 9 21 29 8 15 18
European Union

Azerbaijan 12 19 26 13 10 19

Georgia 8 35 29 4 2 22

Armenia 10 20 31 7 14 18
United Nations

Azerbaijan 10 18 25 13 13 20

Georgia 7 35 30 5 2 22
LEVEL OF HAPPINESS
 N1. How happy would you say you are? (weighted mean, 1 = extremely
unhappy, 10 = extremely happy, CB)
2012 2011 2010

6.9
6.8
6.7
6.6 6.6

6.4

6.1 6.1

5.8

Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

 N7. Degree of fatalism (%)
(CB 2012)
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia

36

30 31
26 26
22
19
17
15 14
14
10 12
9 9
5 4
2

People shape their 4 3 2 Everything in life is Don't know

fate themselves determined by fate
 GENOCIDE AND
ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
 ARMENIA
G1. To which degree would you support the opening of the Armenian-
Turkish border without any preconditions? (%)
(CB)
2012 2010

16
Fully support
20

18
Rather support
21

12
Equally support and don't support
16

16
Rather not support
14

35
Don't support
22

4
Don't know
8
 ARMENIA
G4. At what age did you first hear about the Armenian Genocide? (%)
(CB 2012)

Below the age of 7 31

Between 8 and 11 45

Between 12 and 17 18

Between 18 and 26 3

Older than the age of 27 1

Don't know 3
 ARMENIA
G7. To what extent do you agree with the following statements? (%)
(CB 2012)
Completely agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Completely disagree Don't know

If Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Armenian

19 30 13 18 20
monuments will be restored

If Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Armenia will

15 21 20 25 18
receive territorial compensation

If Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Armenia will

23 29 16 17 16
receive financial compensation

Official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by others will

36 28 10 13 13
influence Turkey’s decision to do so as well
 ARMENIA
G2. Opening the border with Turkey will have what effect on... (%)
(CB 2012)

Effect on Armenian economy 49 5 28 18

2012

Effect on internal politics 23 11 39 26

Effect on national security 14 13 47 27 Beneficial

No effect
Harmful
Effect on Armenian economy 50 8 32 10 Don't know
2010

Effect on internal politics 12 26 44 18

Effect on national security 7 22 58 14

DEMOGRAPHICS
 Sex (%) Age (%) Settlement type (%)
(CB 2012) (CB 2012) (CB 2012)

54.6
43
45.4
42
37
28 29

22

Men Women 18-35 36-55 56+ Yerevan Urban Rural

 ARMENIA
A6R. What is the highest level of education you have completed?(%)
(CB 2012)
Yerevan Urban Rural

3
Post-graduate degree 1
1
34
Completed higher education 21
14
5
Incomplete higher education 4
2
24
Secondary technical education 29
24
27
Completed secondary education 33
39
7
Incomplete secondary education 11
13
1
Primary education 2
4
0
No primary education 1
2
 W4. How often did you feel the respondent was reluctant to answer the
questions? (%)
(CB 2012)
Never A few times or more

Armenia 62 38

Azerbaijan 40 60

Georgia 57 43
Data open access and on-line analysis
www.crrccenters.org/caucasusbarometer/online or
http://crrc.ge/oda
 Thank You!

www.crrc.am
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