UNDP in Kosovo has published the biannual publication of the Public Pulse, which provide an overview of ten key indicators derived from respective opinion polls with respondents over 18 years old in Kosovo. The Public Pulse is based on an opinion poll conducted from 6 to 24 April 2022, with 1,306 respondents from all ethnic communities in Kosovo. Data and indicators from the opinion poll are disaggregated by ethnicity and gender to provide detailed information on differences in perceptions of development problems faced by the people of Kosovo.
According to Public Pulse, unemployment (36.4%), poverty (21.1%), and prices of essential supplies (7.7%) are reported as the main concerns facing the people of Kosovo at the moment. However, the crisis in Ukraine appears to have increased citizens' concern about rising prices for essential supplies, which did not appear as one of the main problems in the autumn 2021 survey. Healthcare services (5.7%) and corruption (5%) were among the top 5 problems facing the people of Kosovo. However, unemployment, poverty, and the environment were the top three concerns in the autumn 2021 survey.
Ethnically disaggregated data show that Kosovo Serbs considered unemployment (20.5%), prices of public utilities (14.8%), and electric energy supply (11.4%) as the three most pressing issues. In contrast, for other Kosovo communities, the biggest problem was unemployment (48%), followed by poverty (20.5%) and urban space problems (13%). For Kosovo Albanians, unemployment (36.5%), poverty (21.9%), and prices of essential supplies (8.1%) were the three most pressing problems in Kosovo.
Gender disaggregated data show that men and women were primarily concerned about unemployment, poverty, and prices of essential supplies. Like the last opinion poll, women were more concerned about unemployment (40%) than men (32.6%). Women (20.2%) and men (21.8%) seemed equally worried about poverty. However, men were more concerned about the prices of essential supplies (9.1%) than women (6.4%).
The share of respondents who were very satisfied and satisfied with the political direction of Kosovo had decreased by 7.5 percentage points (23.2%) compared to autumn 2021 (30.7%) when it represented the highest level of satisfaction ever recorded by Public Pulse opinion polls. However, this dissatisfaction rate is lower than in December 2020 (59.4%) and April 2020 (69.6%). Likewise, the number of those who were neutral has decreased (34.2%) compared to autumn 2021 (36.1) and May 2021 (38.8%). In addition, gender-disaggregated data show a slight difference between men and women regarding satisfaction with the political direction of Kosovo, with 23.9% of men and 22.3% of women being satisfied with Kosovo's political direction.
Public Pulse opinion poll recorded an increase in Democratic Index (DI); more specifically, the current DI had increased by 0.07 points (1.66) from autumn 2021, when it stood at 1.59 points. This figure suggests that more than half of the people of Kosovo had a favorable view of democratic processes in Kosovo.
Regarding the perception of large–scale corruption, on average, 22.2% of respondents claimed large-scale corruption is present in public and international institutions in Kosovo. This value represents a decrease of 1.2 points from autumn 2021 (23.4%), 2.8 percentage points from May 2021 (25%), 5.8 percentage points from December 2020 (28%), and an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to April 2020 (20.7%). This result indicates a steadily positive trend in the perception on large-scale corruption compared to previous years.
On the other hand, most respondents (69.4%) said that they had formed their opinions on the extent of corruption through print and electronic media. Furthermore, 27.2% of respondents declared that conversations with relatives and friends shaped the basis of their views regarding the extent of corruption. In contrast, only 3.4% of respondents claimed that personal experiences where they were asked for money, gifts, or other favors in return for certain services influenced their opinions.
Regarding the right of the people to live in a healthy and clean environment, 15.3% said they know a lot about the topic, 25.5% claimed average knowledge, and 40.7% of respondents said they know a little about this topic. On the other hand, 18.5% said they do not know their right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
Public Pulse opinion poll also explored the awareness of respondents on the potential environmental threats to their own and their family's health. While 9% of respondents declared full awareness about these threats, 73.9% of respondents claimed to have little to average knowledge about these threats. In addition, 17.1% of respondents said they did not know about potential environmental threats to their and their family's health.
The findings are based on an opinion poll, which surveyed 1,306 respondents in Kosovo over 18 from 6 to 24 April 2022. The sample included the same number of men and women from all Kosovo municipalities and regions, covering both urban and rural areas. In terms of ethnic representation, the sample included 896 Kosovo Albanians, 210 Kosovo Serbs, and 200 members of other Kosovo communities (Kosovo Ashkali, Kosovo Bosnians, Kosovo Egyptians, Kosovo Gorani, Kosovo Roma, and Kosovo Turks).