Serbs emotionally tied to Russia and China

Serbs like Russia and China more than the EU. This was the result of an IPSOS study, which found that the perception of Russia and China is significantly more positive than that of the European Union.

A large number of Serbian citizens have a positive attitude towards these countries, which is often linked to emotional ties and concrete actions.

“The visit of Russian President Putin or China’s help during the pandemic, for example through vaccine donations, led to a significant increase in the popularity of these countries,” explains Srdjan Bogosavljevic.

Meanwhile, he said that support for the European Union is increasing, however, citizens often state that they do not perceive the European Union as particularly important.

He points out that supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) often favor China over economic cooperation and infrastructure projects, while the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and nationalist parties are more oriented towards Russia.

“This division reflects pragmatism, but also a strong emotional attachment to traditional allies,” emphasizes Bogosavljevic.

Kosovo, corruption and protests are at the top of the list of issues

Bogosavljevic shows that the research highlights the change in citizens’ priorities with regard to the most important social problems.

“While unemployment used to be at the forefront, it has now almost disappeared from the list,” summarizes the IPSOS consultant.

However, Kosovo remains one of the main issues, closely followed by corruption and protests.

“In November this year, protests were among the top three problems, with 10% of citizens seeing them as the biggest challenge.” These views also depend on political affiliation – opposition supporters emphasize corruption, while pro-government voters criticize protests,” says Bogosavljevic

/The Geopost