Wednesday, December 20 2017 12:05

ArmInfo.More than half the population Armenia - 54% and 36% of Georgia's citizens are linked by prospects political and economic development of the country with  close interaction with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European  Union. These are the results of the study "Caucasian barometer-2017",  conducted by the Caucasian Research Resource Center-Armenia.

The public opinion survey included 100 questions. Polls on the  socio-economic, demographic and political situation were conducted in  Armenia and Georgia, and 4,027 randomly selected individuals (1,648  people in Armenia and 2379 in Georgia) took part in it.

From the point of view of ensuring the security of the country, 50%  of the respondents in Armenia supported the establishment of equal  relations with both NATO and the CSTO, in Georgia, there were 34%.   Meanwhile, 27% of RA residents rely only on the CSTO, and the same  percentage of respondents from Georgia associate their security only  with NATO. At the same time, from 13-20% of the respondents in both  countries refused or found it difficult to answer this question.

The research center notes that in comparison with last year the  number of citizens who could not decide on the answer to political  questions increased.

At the same time, 64% of respondents from Armenia consider Russia to  be the most friendly country, whereas in 2015, there were 74% of  those, and in 2013, 84%.  The study also showed that unemployment and  poverty continue to be one of the most exciting issues in the  societies of the two countries. So the issue of unemployment worries  36% of Armenian respondents and 56% of Georgian. 17% and 14%,  respectively, are concerned about the issue of poverty.

From the point of view of the trust in public structures, the Army  and the Church are advantageous, since 77% of Armenian respondents  fully and more likely trust the armies, and 75% - Georgian ones.

The research center also notes that the answers to several questions  directed only to Armenian respondents are noteworthy. Thus, 87% of  the respondents in Armenia, when asked about last year's April war,  shared the view that in the event of a threat to national security,  Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora are consolidated. Moreover, 63% of  the respondents believe that in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue one should  rely only on their own strengths. At the same time, the overwhelming  majority, namely 77%, think that the problem should be solved  exclusively through negotiations.

At the same time, only 16% of the respondents condemned the actions  of the Sasna Tsrer group, 36% - acquitted, and 28% said they to some  extent condemn, and in some way justify their actions.

At the same time, half of the respondents believe that the arrival of  Syrian refugees in Armenia contributes to the economic development of  the country and the revitalization of cultural life.

Despite the difficult socio-economic and political processes in the  region, in 2017 the average happiness score in Armenia and Georgia  was 6.8 and 7.1 units (out of 10 possible).