Ahead of Elections, IRI Poll Reveals Kyrgyz Public Expectations

Between February and March 2021, the International Republican Institute (IRI) conducted a national survey across Kyrgyzstan, gauging public opinion on a range of political issues including planned and upcoming parliamentary and local elections, citizen’s key expectations for the new Presidential administration, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The poll also examined the public’s mood on more general topics such as Kyrgyzstan’s national outlook and the importance of democracy, which are met with optimism in the face of ongoing economic challenges. 

Citizens’ main economic concerns have shifted in the last few months—while unemployment and corruption continue to top the list, a notable proportion of citizens now cite more specific economic issues such as cost of living (48 percent), migration (23 percent), housing (13 percent) infrastructure (9 percent) as primary concerns. These percentages mark an increase since IRI’s last poll in December 2020. This shift may reflect expectations of the new administration as Kyrgyzstan deals with the economic fallout of COVID-19. 

Despite these challenges, 70 percent of citizens are optimistic about the country’s direction. Sixty-three percent believe ordinary people are either very likely or somewhat likely to be able to influence decisions, and 85 percent believe it is either very important or somewhat important that all people including women, youth, and people with disabilities are included in political decision-making. 

С результатами исследования на русском языке можно ознакомиться по данной ссылке. 

Read the Russian version of the poll at this link.  

Сурамжылоонун жыйынтыктарын кыргызча бул шилтемеден окусаңыз болот. 

Read the Kyrgyz version of the poll at this link. 

Methodology 

The survey was conducted on behalf of IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research by SIAR Research and Consulting between February 21 and March 5, 2021. Data was collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews. The sample consists of 1,200 residents of Kyrgyzstan aged 18+, and the data was weighted for age and gender. The margin of error does not exceed plus or minus 2.8 points at the 95 percent confidence level, and the response rate was 47 percent. This survey was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).