Survey shows widespread public discontent with Armenian government policies
pannorama
A large number of Armenians view the government’s policies negatively across nearly all key sectors, according to a new survey commissioned by the Together (Miasin) movement, its co-founder Aram Sargsyan said on Wednesday.
The survey found that 75.8% of respondents rated the government’s foreign policy as “very negative”, while an additional 9.8% described it as “somewhat negative”. Only 1.2% assessed foreign policy as “very positive” and 7.4% as “somewhat positive”, with 5.7% saying they were undecided.
Sargsyan said the movement decided to commission its own poll after expressing doubts about the reliability of previously published surveys. The poll was conducted among 500 citizens between December 1 and 10. All age groups were represented evenly, most respondents had higher education and 64.8% lived in the capital, Yerevan. The survey is expected to be repeated after January 10.
Public safety and the legal system were also rated poorly, with 71.7% of respondents describing government policy in this area as “very negative” and 15.2% as “somewhat negative”. Only 0.8% gave a “very positive” assessment, while 8.6% rated it “somewhat positive” and 3.7% were undecided.
In the areas of healthcare, social policy, education and science, 60.2% of those surveyed gave a “very negative” assessment and 24.6% a “somewhat negative” one. Positive assessments totaled 12.3%, while 2.9% said they were undecided.
Economic and financial policy also drew strong criticism. Some 62.3% of respondents rated it as “very negative” and 20.5% as “somewhat negative” compared with 9.8% who viewed it positively. Another 7.4% said they were undecided.
Government policy on ensuring housing for displaced Artsakh Armenians and on legal and political steps toward their return was among the most negatively viewed areas. According to the survey, 75.8% rated these policies as “very negative” and 6.8% as “somewhat negative”. Positive assessments stood at 10.2%, while 7.9% of respondents said they were undecided.
