Survey: The vast majority see corruption as a serious problem, believe in SPAK

2024-02-06 20:20:00, Aktualitet CNA

The International Republican Institute published a national survey on Albania on Tuesday, where citizens express high confidence in SPAK, the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime. About 1,800 citizens over the age of 18 were asked about the survey conducted by the IDRA survey center throughout the territory.

Nearly 86 percent of respondents think that corruption in Albania is a serious problem. While 69 percent of them affirm that they believe that SPAK can do its work without political influences.

They claimed that the most widespread corruption in their municipalities is theft or deliberate mismanagement of funds, actions for self-interest, bribes, clientelism at the expense of meritocracy and impunity for wrongdoers.

Survey: The vast majority see corruption as a serious problem, believe in SPAK

"It is encouraging to see that the majority of the Albanian people support the anti-corruption efforts that are being made in the country. The future of Albania is based on the success of the fight against corruption, which is especially challenging the extremely polarized political climate in the country ," said Paul McCarthy, IRI's director for Europe in the press release.

In the survey published by IRI, the vast majority of respondents (63 percent) list the economy, living costs (high prices) and unemployment (40 percent of them) as the most important problems in their municipality, as well as beyond corruption and migration.

Most of them (over 60 percent) claimed that these main concerns would be decisive in their vote for city council, if the elections were held today.

Nearly 60 percent of the respondents claimed that the country is being governed according to the interests of certain groups, while 38 percent said that the government serves the interests of the majority of citizens.

Survey: The vast majority see corruption as a serious problem, believe in SPAK

About 53 percent of them were pessimistic about the question of whether today's generation of young people has a future in Albania, while 43 percent are optimistic about the future.

However, about 58 percent of respondents think that the country is going in the right direction and 39 percent that it is going in the wrong direction.

About 67 percent of respondents said that the future will be better, the rest are distrustful and more afraid of the future.

About 54 percent of respondents are satisfied with the work of municipalities and mayors before the local elections on May 14, while nearly 44 percent were dissatisfied.

They also express the little communication they have with the local government after the elections, such as with the mayors, councilors and the municipal administration.

Survey: The vast majority see corruption as a serious problem, believe in SPAK

Nearly 90 percent of respondents think that socialist and opposition councilors should communicate more with citizens, but are divided in their perception of whether councils have more or less power compared to mayors.

In the survey, 87 percent of respondents think that Albanian citizens living abroad should have the opportunity to vote in Albania

About 60 percent of respondents affirm their high interest in news, mainly from television and social media, while the most reliable for them are televisions with national licenses. Almost 90 percent of them claim that they still own a phone connected to the Internet, where they use information applications almost every day./ VOA