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Security Barometer: The perception of corruption as the biggest threat to Albania's security is increasing

2024-06-05 15:31:00, Aktualitet CNA

Security Barometer: The perception of corruption as the biggest threat to

In Tirana, the Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance published today the national survey Security Barometer 2024, according to which, most citizens think that corruption is the most serious threat to Albania's security.

In the CSDG study, with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, it is said that the number of citizens who underline corruption as the most serious security threat has increased year by year. In 2024 it is 45 percent, in 2022 it was 39 percent, while in 2020 it was 37 percent. This year, nearly 22.5 percent of respondents consider corruption as the second biggest threat to security.

"I think that people are increasingly finding that corruption has corrosive properties in general in all areas of society's life. Corruption is seen as a very big problem in society, even though it is a hidden activity and people think about it indirectly. We have a high degree of engagement in corruption of officials at the highest levels. Many names from all levels are already before justice and this has made it more vulnerable for citizens. From the latter comes the high trust in SPAK", says Arjan Dyrmishi, one of the authors of the study and head of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance, for Voice of America.

The second biggest security threat in Albania, after corruption, is called organized crime by nearly 24 percent of respondents. Also, this estimate is increasing compared to previous years, namely 19.2% in 2022 and 20.3% in 2020.

"Corruption has been perceived as the most serious threat to security in every edition of the Albanian Security Barometer. Therefore, it is not surprising that trust in democratic institutions and the political elite remains low", the study emphasizes.

Citizens express in the survey a significant political uncertainty, as the vast majority of respondents affirm that they do not feel represented by the Assembly, the government and the local government. Only 8.3% of the respondents said that they feel represented by the parliament, 11% of them said so about the central government and another 16% feel represented in the local government.

The majority of respondents, specifically 82 percent of them, think that government leaders violate the law or abuse their power, and 71.6% of citizens affirmed that crimes committed by government officials go unpunished.

The activity of the Albanian government, according to the survey, is influenced by the owners of large businesses, while the influence of the citizens' will towards the government's steps is small. Only 7 percent think that the Assembly and the government implement the will of the voters, while 45.7% affirmed that the government is influenced in its work by the owners of big businesses.

Half of the respondents do not believe that next year's elections will be free and fair, or if they will empower citizens to freely choose political alternatives.

The vast majority, three fifths of the respondents, affirmed that in general Albania is going in the right direction. However, about a third of them say that the government's performance (effectiveness) is good or very good, another third that it is bad or very bad, but the remaining third claimed that the government's performance is not it is neither good nor bad.

A separate chapter of the survey deals with the work of the new justice system against corruption and organized crime. About two thirds say that SPAK is serious in the fight against corruption and organized crime. Only about 18 percent of respondents think that SPAK is not serious in the fight against corruption and organized crime.

Respondents are almost equally divided regarding the political independence of the Special Courts and SPAK. Over 53 percent of respondents claimed that SPAK's decision-making is not influenced by politics. While nearly 47 percent of respondents say that SPAK is influenced by politics. A higher percentage, nearly 58 percent of respondents, think that the decision-making of the Special Courts for Corruption and Organized Crime is influenced by politics.

Economic security is also reflected as a problem by citizens. One third of the respondents affirmed that the financial situation in their families is good and very good, while for two thirds of them family finances are neither good nor bad, bad and very bad. Only one-fifth think that the family economy and the economy of the country as a whole is better than a year ago.

Most of the citizens surveyed claimed that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased over the past five years due to government policies. While only about a fifth of the respondents said that the government takes into account the views of the citizens when drafting or reforming economic policies.

Unemployment is also listed as a major economic problem. Only one fifth of the respondents affirmed that the government has made the necessary efforts to create jobs for everyone in Albania. The vast majority of them claimed that government support for the unemployed is insufficient, while only 15 percent of respondents said that the government supports them. One third of the respondents think that it is easy to find a job in Albania, while for two thirds of the citizens this is not easy. Also, one-third claimed that private employers provide sufficient working conditions and wages, while two-thirds say no. However, three-fifths of respondents say that Albanians should make an effort to find work and work in Albania, but a significant percentage say that they should look for work in other countries.

As far as food security is concerned, a third of the respondents claimed that during the past year they have reduced the amount of food because they did not have enough money to buy. Nearly half of those surveyed say they were worried the food would run out before they could get the money to buy it again. A quarter of respondents say they are more concerned about meeting their food needs in the coming year. The vast majority also suspect that food safety controls by state institutions are not adequate, and that the food products sold in Albanian markets are not safe.

For health security, the majority of respondents believe that the service in public hospitals is average, but a third say that their first choice would be a private hospital. Some citizens claimed that they avoid receiving medical services because they cannot afford the payments, and that they use alternative therapies to avoid the hospital. Over two-thirds of respondents said they are worried about their ability to pay medical bills in the event of an illness or accident. While only a third of respondents believe that the drugs sold in Albania are safe and not harmful to their health.

Integration in the EU remains the main priority of Albanian society. Respondents almost unanimously support membership in the European Union and affirmed that this will be a good thing for Albania, and most citizens say that Albania should pursue the necessary reforms to become a member of the EU. Almost two-thirds believe that Albania will become a member of the EU within the next five or ten years, about one-third think that Albania will become a member of the EU within twenty years.

As for international relations, the majority of Albanian citizens, 78% of them single out the United States of America as the country with the most positive influence on Albania, compared to other countries. Next comes Turkey, while the countries with the most negative influence on Albania, according to them, are Russia and Iran. The majority of respondents seek closer relations between Albania and Kosovo, however a higher percentage 84.8% support the coordination and identification of foreign policy while 70.5% support their unification. A very large percentage of citizens think that Serbia is a security threat to Albania, however they say that there should be greater cooperation between the two countries. As for the Kosovo-Serbia reports, most of the respondents claimed that both countries will reach a final agreement on the normalization of relations in the near future, but more than a third think that this will never happen./Voice of America