NDI polls say that 41 percent of the country’s population do not have a favorite party. 

The polls say the ruling Georgian Dream party is favored by 24 percent and the United National Movement by nine percent. 

The polls read that Georgians see insufficient progress on the top national issues of concern and think the situation regarding poverty, crime, territorial integrity, and education has gotten worse in the last 10 years. 

New poll found that a majority of Georgians do not think anyone - neither government or opposition parties - is acting in their best interest. Georgians also remain skeptical of the newly elected parliament’s willingness to address their concerns. 

More than half of the population (53 percent) does not believe parliament is passing legislation on issues that matter to them, while 52 percent do not believe an MP will take action if citizens tell him/her about problems in their district. 

Only a third believes that parliament regularly communicates with the public.

“Economic insecurity remains a top priority for the Georgian public and provides a clear direction for Government and political parties to respond. A renewed focus on the issues of top concern is required across the political spectrum through Government, Parliament and local councils.” - says Alan Gillam, NDI Georgia Country Director - “The consistency of the public view on these issues should be seen as a call to action for political leaders who have lost the confidence of the public in representing their interests.”

According to the polls, in light of  political polarization, Georgians are supportive of a wide cross-party collaboration.

80 percent agree that their favorite political party should cooperate with all other political parties in the parliament, even if the views of some parties might be unacceptable to them. This perception is consistent across political affiliation. 

A majority of Georgians believe that domestic actors are best placed to facilitate mediation between the opposition and the government. A plurality (34%) thinks Georgian political parties themselves would make best facilitators during negotiations, while 11 percent find the president as a suitable moderator. Eighteen percent would look to the international community, believing western partners are needed for negotiations.

“The public clearly have stated that the political parties in Georgia need to work together to resolve these challenges. The need for economic recovery, exacerbated by the pandemic, remain fundamental challenges in the upcoming period and should focus the minds of Government and opposition alike.”- says Alan Gillam, NDI Georgia Country Director.

Although living in a democratic state remains important for the majority (92 percent), only 39 percent believe Georgia meets this criteria. Further, a plurality of Georgians think Georgia is no longer a beacon of democracy (34 percent), while 25 percent says Georgia has never been a good example of democracy to begin with. Only 23 percent of citizens agree that Georgia is a good example of democracy for the neighboring states.

Georgians praise the Government for doing a good job handling the Covid pandemic (50 percent). What remains alarming is the high level of vaccine hesitancy - 42 percent said they would not get vaccinated; 29 percent said they are already vaccinated, 25 percent said they intend to receive a vaccine.