Monday, August 24 2020 18:19

ArmInfo. A public opinion survey on the COVID-19 pandemic, commissioned by the World Bank, showed that 66% of respondents in Armenia consider that economic considerations should prevail over health ones, and see the new restrictions as even greater harm to the economy. Moreover, 39% of respondents said restrictions should not be imposed even with the increase of new  coronavirus cases in Armenia.

This survey was conducted by telephone by the International Bank for  Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International  Development Association (IDA) in cooperation with the CRRC-Armenia  Foundation (Caucasus Research Resources Center), the results of which  were published on August 24. The study notes that continuous  monitoring of public perceptions of infection and institutional  responses is necessary to identify areas of greatest concern to  society, as the pandemic continues to affect the health of citizens  and exacerbate the economic crisis.

35% of the total number of respondents, either lost their jobs or  faced a decrease in income during the coronavirus pandemic. It is  noteworthy that 45% of the men surveyed noted that they either lost  their jobs or began to work according to the schedule of reduced  working hours, while the number of female respondents in such a  situation was 27%.

43% of respondents began to spend less on essential goods, 36%  reduced their spending on food, and 28% spent family savings on  essential needs. 54% of respondents noted that their financial  situation worsened during the pandemic. Nevertheless, 25% of the  respondents are optimistic in the hope that their well-being and the  financial situation of their families will improve over the next 12  months. But 30% of respondents are of the opinion that nothing will  change, 24% are pessimistic, and 9% are expecting deterioration.

When asked what challenges Armenia faces during the epidemiological  crisis, 36% of respondents pointed to the coronavirus pandemic, 33%  to a lack of jobs and unemployment, 18% to poverty and inequality,  17% to a negative impact on the economy, 17% - problems in the field  of education, and 15% - problems in the health sector.

51% of respondents noted that coronavirus is a task of the health  care system, it is noteworthy that among women there were 56% having  such an opinion and among men there were 47%. And the majority (47%)  believed that the main reason for the spread of the pandemic was the  violation of anti-epidemic canons (not observing social distance, not  wearing masks and gloves, and another 12% added to this a low level  of hygiene. Interestingly, 9% of respondents consider that the reason  of the spread of coronavirus was political / economic competition of  influential forces of the world, 6% see the reason in tourism, and 4%  see the reason in the change in ecology and climate. It is  interesting that 74% of respondents answered that they wear masks,  often wash their hands or use disinfectants. As for health risks in  the context of COVID-19 34% of respondents assessed a high risk of  contracting coronavirus, at the same time 24% of respondents  considered a high risk of a severe course of the disease when  infected with the virus. 46% responded that they would apply to  hospital in case of signs of infections, while 17% will call  ambulance.

When asked about their trust in government agencies, 54% of  respondents expressed a positive opinion of the healthcare system,  while 41% were in favor of the Ministry of Health, 43% of respondents  expressed confidence in the police, and 35% in the commandant's  office. Of the citizens surveyed, 25% expressed complete confidence  in WHO, and another 23% said that they most likely trust this  organization. 32% of the respondents found it difficult to answer the  question about trust in international donor organizations, but 33%  expressed confidence. 42% of respondents, at the expense of  government efforts in the context of countering the spread of  coronavirus, said they would like to see a focus on the health system  in terms of mitigating the impact of the pandemic. And only 22% of  those surveyed said they would like to see more government efforts in  terms of providing direct financial assistance. Meanwhile, the  majority of respondents - 65% - noted that neither they nor their  families used any state aid program. Regarding the mitigation of the  financial situation complicated by the pandemic, 27% of respondents  expressed a desire to extend the terms of loan payments and extend  the loan maturity. 24% said that during a state of emergency they  would like to see utility bills subsidized, and another 14% would  like to receive a minimum salary compensation during the period of  forced downtime.

43% of respondents are inclined to believe that schools will start  working as usual since September. And of the respondents surveyed,  51% of parents said they would send their children to school, and 21%  of parents expressed a preference for distance learning.  To note,  9605 calls were made within the framework of the survey, and data  collection was carried out from June 21 to June 29. 31% of the  respondents had higher education, 32% - secondary education, 21% -  secondary specialized education, and 2% - postgraduate professional  education (with an academic degree).  37% of the respondents were  from Yerevan, 36% were rural residents, and 27% were from other  cities of Armenia. Of the citizens surveyed, 36% were aged 18-35, 33%  were 36-55, and 31% were 56 and older. At the time of the survey, 58%  of respondents had a job. Of these, 18% were employed in agriculture,  14% in the field of jurisprudence and law, 12% in trade. For 31% of  the respondents, income fluctuated within the range of 48  thousand-120 thousand drams ($ 98-245), and only 5% of the income  exceeded 575.001 thousand drams ($ 1178).