TIRANA, Nov. 9 – A majority of 70 percent of citizens describe the country’s economic situation as worse and much worse compared to a year ago, according to a social and political barometer study conducted by the Albanian Centre for Good Governance with 2,000 respondents nationwide.
“Only 9 percent of the respondents say the general economic situation has improved compared to last year. If we take into account another 22 percent who say the situation has remained unchanged, then it is proved that ‘the economic crisis’ is the keyword of this survey,” authors say.
“The high unemployment rate is one of the key social issues, despite the survey being carried out in mainly developed cities, compared to other remote cities where unemployment is believed to be higher.
Almost half of the respondents, some 46 percent, said they were unemployed at the time the survey was carried out last July.
“This dramatic finding, is in fact, confirmed even in the reflection of disappointment citizens have toward institutions in general with 63 percent saying they trust none of the institutions listed in the survey.”
“This finding on the severe social and economic situation once again confirms the disappointment trend citizens have in political parties with 73 percent of the surveyed saying they do nothing in changing the citizens’ lives,” researchers said.
“Even other data shows that 2015-2016 was a period of stagnation as far as foreign and public investments are concerned, the economic growth which was accompanied with a decline in exports and imports coupled with a decline in the purchasing power and the circulation of goods,” they add.
On the other hand, it seems that even the new administrative division and the functioning of the new municipalities with unclear budgets and a legal and administrative chaos has considerably affected local enterprises.
In 2014, Albania cut the number of local government units to 61 municipalities compared to a previous 373 municipalities and communes.
The study unveiled citizens’ confidence in public institutions and political parties remains at very low levels, unveiling huge disappointment and little room for optimism.
The public confidence ranged from 2 percent in the judiciary, 4 percent in Parliament, 9 percent at the President’s office, 10 percent in the opposition and 12 percent in the government with 63 percent of some 2,000 respondents saying they trust none of these institutions.
Over 70 percent of the respondents said politicians do not care at all for their everyday problems.
