ZAGREB, 27 Nov (Hina) – Rising prices worry 90% of Croatians, while 85% see peer violence as a major social problem, 73% are concerned about armed conflicts, and almost half believe immigrants pose a threat to Croatia’s culture and way of life, a survey by polling agency Ipsos showed.
Just over 78% of respondents are troubled by falling purchasing power. One in three spends less than a year ago, and regardless of their personal finances, three-quarters say their standard of living is declining.
Almost 73% fear Croatia could be directly drawn into armed conflicts, a concern that has driven support for reinstating compulsory military service to 71%, a sharp rise in just a year. Still, in the event of a NATO intervention, half of respondents oppose Croatia’s participation in military action.
Mental-health issues and their impact on society worry 73.5% of citizens, with 85.5% identifying peer violence as one of the biggest challenges requiring prevention. Falling personal security due to rising violence concerns 64.5%.
Public unease is also growing over increased surveillance by state institutions, worrying over 61%. Nearly 80% would not support curbs on personal freedoms to improve security, such as tighter monitoring of communication apps or stricter oversight of financial transactions.
Attitudes towards foreign workers are shifting as well. Only one in five supports their arrival, and almost 48% believe immigrants threaten Croatia’s culture and lifestyle. The growing presence of foreigners in local communities concerns more than 60% of respondents.
Only 14% of citizens trust state institutions, and just 14.7% are satisfied with their work. Media fare even worse, with trust at only 13%. Just one in eight believes state institutions act in society’s best interest, and one in seven says the same about the media.
Even NGOs, despite their focus on public causes, enjoy limited trust – only 17.7% believe they act for the common good.
Citizens still expect public money to be channelled into areas that directly affect daily life. They rank healthcare as the top priority (90%), followed by education (70.7%) and pensions (55.4%).
Respondents see demographic policy as aВ government priority, with lower labour taxes and subsidised housing for young families topping the list of desired measures.
Croatians are divided on expectations for the future: one-third believe their lives will improve in the coming years, while an equal share expect things to get worse.
Despite giving a largely negative assessment of the economy – only 12.8% rate it as very good or excellent – and concerns about inflation and declining purchasing power, 43.1% say their personal financial situation is better than a few years ago. Some 40% rate their quality of life higher than before, while 34.7% say it has deteriorated.
Citizens are most positive about their personal relationships and most negative about the political situation, which only one in ten rates as very good or excellent. One in five gives similarly high marks to the healthcare system.
The survey was conducted online between 25 and 30 October on a sample of 600 respondents aged 18 to 65.
