Mood and attitudes of the adult population of Georgia towards the events that have developed in Georgia since October 26 – public opinion poll

The Institute for Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA) conducted a public opinion poll on January 18-30, 2025 for Civil Society Foundation and UNA Georgia

The results of the survey reflect the mood and attitudes of the adult population of Georgia towards the events that have developed in Georgia since October 26. In particular:

• The majority of respondents (up to 62%) indicate that the country is moving in the wrong direction.
• 82.1% of respondents consider the current situation in the country to be a political crisis, and up to 78% hold the Georgian Dream party primarily responsible for the political crisis.
• The population identifies the following as the most acute problems facing the country: a) high prices and b) unemployment. In addition, the following are among the acute problems: emigration of Georgians, the spread/use of drugs, poverty, unfairly held parliamentary elections, crime and insecurity, etc.
• 67.1% consider the statement made by Irakli Kobakhidze on November 28, 2024, about suspending European integration until 2028 unacceptable.
• The majority (up to 55%) believes that the Georgian Dream’s foreign policy serves the interests of Russia/countries close to Russia (China, Iran, etc.). In addition, 30.1% believe that the Georgian Dream pursues a balanced foreign policy and does not specifically pursue the interests of any country. Only 7% are convinced that the Georgian Dream is on the path of integration with the West (Europe, USA) and Western structures (EU, NATO).
• The majority of respondents (up to 67%) negatively assess the severance of strategic relations with the USA.
• Georgia’s accession to the European Union is supported by a large majority – 86.3%, and NATO membership – 74.2%. Despite this, more than half of the respondents (up to 53%) are in favor of Georgia not joining any political/military international structure and maintaining neutrality.
• The majority of the population (54.2%) finds the statements of the “Georgian Dream” about the anti-Georgian influences of the “Deep State” and the “Global War Party” unconvincing; a quarter (25.3%) finds it difficult to express a position on the credibility of these statements.
• Up to 60% of respondents support the ongoing protests in Georgia; 45% of respondents are active supporters of the protests.
• The October 26, 2024 elections were held unfairly, according to approximately 43% of respondents, and according to an additional 16% – equally fair and unfair (“50/50”).
• More than half of the respondents (51.3%) declare that they voted for an opposition political force in the elections, and approximately a third (32%) confirm that they voted for the “Georgian Dream”. Up to 17% do not reveal their choice.
• Up to 48% consider the presence of the “Georgian Dream” in power illegal/illegitimate, and 39.2% consider it legal/legitimate.
• The majority agrees with the main demands of the ongoing protests; in particular, 62% support the appointment of new parliamentary elections, and 76.3% – the release of prisoners.
• In the event of new parliamentary elections being called, the vast majority (within 80%) have a high willingness to participate. Among those who do not rule out participating in new elections, support for the Georgian Dream (by allocation) is 31.5%.
• The majority of respondents (up to 55%) do not agree that if the Georgian Dream does not remain in power, the risk of Georgia getting involved in a war with Russia will increase. 35.5% of respondents see such a risk more or less; however, only 15.3% are sure of this.
• When assessing the activities/events of various actors in recent months, the most positive attitude is towards the activities of Salome Zurabishvili (49%).
• In recent months, the share of those who positively assess the activities of NGOs (up to 36%) exceeds the share of those who evaluate them negatively (up to 30%).
• After the October 26 elections, those who negatively assess the activities of opposition political parties (up to 38%) outnumber those who positively assess them (33.2%); while more than half (53.2%) negatively assess the activities of the Georgian Dream after the October 26 elections.
• The election of Mikheil Kavelashvili as President of Georgia received a negative assessment (57.2%).
• Up to 52% of respondents consider the sanctions imposed by the US against Bidzina Ivanishvili to be fair, and almost the same number – against senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• Respondents mainly receive information about current socio-political events in the country from Georgian television channels and social media.
• ​​Among television channels, Imedi (up to 42%), Mtavari Channel (up to 38%) and TV Pirveli (33.4%) are in the lead by a small margin. Among social media, Facebook is the undisputed leader.

The public opinion survey conducted by the Institute for Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA) in January was conducted nationwide; 2,000 respondents were interviewed face-to-face. Respondents were randomly selected from households. The survey results provide a sampling error of ±2.2% for the entire sample, with a 95% confidence level.

The Institute for Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA) is a research organization that has been operating since 2000. The organization conducts both quantitative and qualitative research. Over the course of 25 years, the Institute for Social Studies and Analysis has carried out hundreds of studies in various fields, the results of which have been published in high-ranking international journals as well as in the form of monographs. The institute actively collaborates with both local and international organizations.