One in five Georgians is thinking of emigrating in the next 12 months to seek working opportunities elsewhere. This number is even higher among the population under 50 - almost every third citizen under 50 is thinking about leaving Georgia.
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On the question "how likely or unlikely is it that you will go abroad for work in the next 12 months?” 20% said that it is likely, 76% said that it’s unlikely and 4% answered, "don't know".
A quarter of residents of Tbilisi, big cities, and minority settlements, as well as a third of young people, want to emigrate. According to the research, men think about leaving the country more than women. Compared to "Georgian Dream" supporters, slightly more opposition supporters say they are thinking of leaving the country.
According to the NDI data, 80,351 Georgian citizens left Georgia in 2021, 38,526 returned to the country, and 40,825 remained abroad.
The same survey shows that one in five adult Georgians is unemployed. The majority of the unemployed - 69% say that they cannot find a job at all or with a suitable salary. Most of the unemployed in rural and ethnic minority settlements cannot find any job.
According to 35% of respondents, their family has a bad economic situation, and 59% say that their family's economic situation is satisfactory. Only 5% assess the economic situation of their family positively. The majority, 39%, believe that they have less financial capabilities compared to 5 years ago, 37% have not changed their capabilities, and 22% have improved. At the same time, 77% of respondents worry about the impact of increased prices on the financial capabilities of families.
One in five Georgian households struggles to buy food. 18% of respondents say that money is not enough for food, and 35% spend money only on food, but not on clothes. In the case of 35%, the family has money for food and clothes, but they cannot afford expensive durables (washing machine, refrigerator). Compared to the rest of the country, small urban and rural settlements, as well as the 55+ age group are struggling the most. There are no partisan differences.
Almost every second adult didn’t have money to pay for utilities in the last six months. The majority of citizens spend their family income mainly on food (76%), utility bills (62%), medicine (38%) and loans (30%).
According to 37% of respondents, Georgia going in the right direction, and according to 31% - in the wrong direction. 26% believe that Georgia is not changing at all. The positive assessment regarding the direction of the country has increased by 10% in December 2022, compared to the same period of the previous year. According to the research, the positive assessment has increased the most among the supporters of the Georgian Dream party. Tbilisi residents and opposition supporters are the most critical.
Most of the respondents, 66%, say that they feel secure living in Georgia, and 34% feel insecure. The main reason for feeling insecure living in Georgia is related to the economy. When asked what are the three most important reasons why they feel insecure in Georgia (maximum of three answers), 39% named poverty, 35% - inflation and high prices, 34% - unemployment and lack of jobs, 33% - crime, 21% political instability, 10-10% high drug prices and incidents of violence, 7% poor health care.
Plurality is still optimistic about the future of Georgia, but less so compared to four years ago. In December 2022, 44% of respondents said they were positive about the country's future, compared to 57% in March 2018. According to the research, the rural population and the Georgian Dream supporters – are most optimistic about the future of Georgia.
Rising prices, jobs, and poverty remain top national concerns. For the first time in NDI Georgia survey history, rising prices/ inflation tops the priority list. After price increases (39%), the most important national issues were jobs (38%), poverty (30%), territorial integrity (25%), and pensions (24%). However, unlike the rest of Georgia, the territorial integrity of ethnic minorities is not among the important national issues.
The majority (51%) is skeptical that the Georgian government can solve economic problems.
The research was conducted nationwide from December 3 to December 20, using the face-to-face survey method. The average margin of error is +/- 1.6%.
