Armenians trust EU more than Eurasian Economic Union: poll

PanARMENIAN.Net - An opinion poll carried out in the framework of The EU NEIGHBOURS east project has revealed that more than three-quarters of Armenians (76%) feel relations with the European Union are good - well ahead of the regional average (61%).

The purpose of the annual surveys is to investigate and understand better the opinion and the level of awareness that the citizens of the EU's Eastern Partner countries have about the EU and the cooperation of the bloc and their country.

A survey carried out in 2016 revealed that Armenians show the lowest support for Eurasian integration. In 2016, the indicator of positive attitude towards the Eurasian Economic Union in the country fell sharply to 46%, while the negative indicator rose to 15%, against the 67% and 5%, respectively, back in 2013.

48% of Armenians have a positive image of the European Union, up from 44% in 2016. The number of persons with negative opinions of the EU has shrunk to just 5%.

65% of people in Armenia trust the EU, compared to the United Nations (56%), the Eurasian Economic Union (50%) and NATO (35%).

Meanwhile, the share of those who have no awareness or opinion about the EU has risen slightly (7% in 2016 versus 10% in 2017).

Nearly 40% of Armenian citizens believe that the Russian Federation provides more financial support to Armenia than the EU, and one quarter of the population considers that the IMF/WB too provides more financial support to the country than the the 27-nation bloc.

Also, the survey suggests that Armenians do not possess a great deal of trust in national, regional and local institutions. Political parties remain the least trusted institution (24%) among Armenians, and just under a third of citizens (31%) trust religious authority.