Citizens Demand More Information and Activism from CSOs

Public opinion survey results  

Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) surveyed 1200 respondents in the nine provinces of Georgia to identify their attitudes towards non-governmental organizations. The results show that citizens need more information about CSOs and call for higher CSO activism.

Respondents were selected randomly, and their responses analyzed according to their location, gender, age, education and income criteria. The attitude of the citizens towards CSOs was studied by following indicators: information about CSOs, confidence of the citizens that CSOs play a positive role in the processes taking place in Georgia, willingness of respondents to cooperate with CSOs and the degree of involvement of citizens in CSO activity.

The results show that 66% of respondents note having little information about CSO activity. Only 9% of respondents said their knowledge about third sector was complete. A typical CSO connoisseur is an inhabitant of the big city, with an average income higher than 200 GEL, younger than 45 and with higher education.

The most recognizable CSOs are Liberty Institute (55,6% of the surveyed aware of their existence and activities), Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (16,8%), and Red Cross (18,8%). These figures mean that these CSOs are more known, but give no information about evaluation of their activities.

The survey also identified main sources of information about CSOs. The majority of respondents – 92,3%- use media to hear about CSO news. Only a negligible proportion of respondents – 5,2% – use the CSO promotional materials or participation in CSO activities as the means of shaping their opinion about civil society organizations.

Respondents say protection of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities as the spheres where CSO activism is the most visible. At the same time the citizens wished CSOs were more active in fighting corruption, protecting children’s rights and in addressing ecological problems.

Both urban and rural residents put anti-corruption in their wish list for CSO activism. Notably, they also said CSOs are most capable of addressing social problems and employment. 

The survey showed that CSOs interact with the society mainly via provision of services. However, only 12,7% of the respondents used CSO services personally. It is important to stress that most of direct beneficiaries have positively evaluated the quality of assistance offered by CSOs.

Results of the survey prove the lack of information is the main problem to be addressed by CSOs in the nearest future. “By March, we plan to arrange a meeting of CSOs and discuss the results of the survey,”-Eka Datuashvili of CSRDG told Advocacy.ge. “On this meeting we have to elaborate a strategy to modify public attitude towards CSOs. By 2005, similar public opinion survey will be conducted once again to show the trend in development of public attitude towards CSOs,” she added.

Please visit the link to the full version of the public opinion survey in Georgian at: https://www.advocacy.ge/cap/2_8.shtml