Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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SHORT REPORT

Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19 Epidemic

Centre for International Public Policy, Department for Public Opinion Research

Ivanović Marta, Đorđević Mirjana, Klarić Aleksandar MA, Mikanović Filip, Nikolić Kristina, Perić

Tamara, Savić Tamara, Steljić Katarina, Subotić Lazar, Todorović Marko, Todorovski Irena,

Totić Bojan

Corresponding author: Aleksandar Klarić MA

Centre for International Public Policy,

Department for Public Opinion Research

Belgrade, Serbia

Email: aklaric@cmjp.rs

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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Summary

Aim: The Centre for International Public Policy has undertaken a public opinion research in which we tested the

opinions of the citizens of Serbia on the coronavirus epidemic. The respondents had the opportunity to express their

opinion on measures undertaken by the Serbian Government to combat the virus, to state their trust in the media, as

well as the health system in general. In addition, we tested the prevalence of different conspiracy theories among

citizens, whether the pandemic gave China a new image in the minds of the people and, most importantly, the level

of solidarity among Serbian citizens as well as within the European / international community as a whole.

Methods: In seven days, from 8-15
th
April 2020, we gathered a convenient sample of N=5989 respondents, which

makes this the largest public opinion research project in Serbia on the topic of COVID-19 since the start of the

epidemic. The electronic questionnaire consisted of 24 questions of mixed and closed type.

Results: The findings of this research suggest that citizens of Serbia are not afraid of COVID-19, but are

nevertheless cautious (86%). The percentage of those willing to consult a doctor when they notice any symptoms

lies at 70%. Half of the respondents do not believe in alternative theories regarding the origin of the COVID-19

virus. The majority of the respondents (55%) hold government officials accountable for spreading panic through

public speeches and daily public addresses. Moreover, 60% of the respondents do not trust the Serbian media outlets

that are currently reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, over half of the respondents are prepared to

report their neighbour when he or she is coming from abroad and violates the obligation to self-isolate. However,

mostly due to the significant fines, 65% of the respondents would not report the elderly when they are breaking the

limited-movement restriction measures.

Conclusion: As before the epidemic, opinions of the Serbian population on current topics are somewhat polarized.

Although the majority of the respondents are cautious, a significant number also believes in conspiracy theories and

does not fully trust the information provided by the media or the government.

Keywords: COVID-19, opinion survey, epidemic.

References:

1. Johns Hopkins University. COVID-19 Dashboard by the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering
(CSSE). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University; 2020. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html.

2. Martin-Moreno, J. M. (2020) “Facing the COVID-19 challenge: When the world depends on effective
public health interventions”, South Eastern European Journal of Public Health (SEEJPH). DOI:

10.4119/seejph-3442.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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1) Is there a presence of fear and which

prevention measures have the citizens of

Serbia undertaken?

We were astounded by the fact that 86% of the

respondents said that they are not afraid that

they or their family members are susceptible to

being infected by the virus. Still, in times when

we are witnessing the heavy toll of the

consequences due to the pandemic on mental

health globally, this in an encouraging sign. The

question of the level of responsibility among the

citizens can be answered with the following data:

of the above-mentioned 86%, 79% stated that,

although they are not afraid, they are taking

preventive measures. Further data states that:

85% of respondents wash their hands more

frequently, 85% implement social distancing

measures and 75% use masks and gloves. Also

noticeably, 2,5% of respondents said they are

not taking any preventive measures.

There is noticeable optimism among respondents

in the following topics: 60% of the respondents

do not believe that we are likely to reach the

“Italian scenario” of exponential growth of new

cases and overloading the health system, while as

many as 90% believe that the virus will be

contained by the 1st of June and that life will

return to normal.

2) Would the citizens of Serbia report on their

co-citizens who do not abide by the self-

isolation measures?

Having in mind the special movement

restrictions for citizens of the age 65 or above, we

were interested in how many respondents would

report on their senior co-citizens who leave their

home, thus potentially endangering their lives.

The largest number of respondents (65%) stated

that they would not report on their co-citizens

but would advise them not to go out, likely

because of the expensive penalties that would be

incurred by the senior citizens; 20% would not

14%

86%

Are you concerned that you or one of

your family members may get

infected?

Concerned Not concerned

44%

90%

17%
5%

Until May

1st

Until June

1st

Until July

1st

Longer

How long do you believe the state of

emergency will last?

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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report them, as it does not concern them, while

15% would. The results showcase a lack of

motivation for including government institutions

in solving this problem, as many respondents

would rely on self-initiative. This could point to

the demotivating factor of high penalties for

reporting third parties’ wrongdoings.

The situation greatly differs regarding the

question of the neighbour returning from abroad.

Half of the respondents would report a

returning neighbour who does not abide by the

self-isolation measures. About a quarter of the

respondents would not report on their

neighbour, but would be more careful, while

17% would alert other neighbours. There was

a considerably lower number of indifferent

respondents, since only 8% stated that this

matter is none of their concern. This leads to

the question of why this is so and what role did

government authorities play in the formation of

these opinions, given their open criticism of

citizens returning from working abroad (the so

called “Gastarbeiter”).

3) How much trust do the citizens of Serbia

have in the health system and the Crisis Staff?

Even with the citizens’ outpouring of solidarity

towards health workers “on the front lines” of the

epidemic with the symbolic applause each

evening at 20h on their balconies, we still wanted

to test the level of trust citizens have in the health

system. On the question “If you were to feel virus

symptoms, would you call the doctor or stay at

home”, 70% of the respondents would call the

doctor, while a significant portion (25%) would

only call if the situation drastically worsens.

With the constantly changing recommendations

of the Crisis Staff on the right measures to

15%

65%

20%

I would

I would advise

them

It doesn't concern

Would you report on citizens above

the age of 65 who are leaving their

homes, thus potentially endangering

their lives?

50%

25%

17%

I would

I would be more

careful

I would alert other

neighbors

It doesn't concern me

Would you report on a neighbor who

arrived from abroad and doesn’t

abide by the self-isolation measures?

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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undertake, we chose to classify these 25% among

those who do not have complete faith in the

health system. Additionally, 5% of the

respondents stated that they would stay at home.

The greatest experts among the doctors have

been invited to form the Crisis Staff and their

recommendations affect the measures further

adopted by the Government in handling the

pandemic. For 6 weeks, every day at 3 pm we sit

docked in front of the TV screen, waiting to hear

the latest information on the number of infected

and about future measures. Therefore, we were

interested in which member of the Crisis Staff

citizens of Serbia trust the most. In the first place,

leading with 27%, there is prof. Dr. Predrag

Kon, then Dr. Darija Kisić Tepavčević with

20%, Dr. Goran Stevanovic with 15%, while

the least trusted member is prof. Dr. Branimir

Nestorovic with 8%. However, the most

common answer given, (by as many as 30% of

respondents!), is that the citizens did not trust

any member of the Crisis staff! These results are

an indicator of citizens putting members’

expertise in the background, while their

appearances in the media are mostly perceived in

the context of the current political climate in the

country, i.e. citizens often understand them as

politicized.

4) How much do the citizens of Serbia trust the

media and high state officials?

It has been repeatedly said that “the media is

adherent to the doctors,” as one side fights the

infectious virus and the other unverified

information and fake news. In this regard, we

were interested in the degree of trust that the

citizens have in the information they receive

from the media. The results of the research tell us

that as many as 60% of respondents do not

25% 70% 5%

If you were to feel virus symptoms,

would you call the doctor or stay at

home?

Would call the doctor if the situation

worsens

Would call the doctor

Would stay at home

70%

30%

Do you trust the members of the

Crisis Staff?

I do I do not

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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trust the information they receive from the

media about the corona virus! Among them,

25% of the respondents think the virus is

more dangerous, and that the number of

infected and deceased is higher than the official

information states. Also, there are 35% of those

who believe that the virus is not so dangerous

and that the whole crisis is exaggerated to divert

the publics’ attention from other problems.

At the top of the crisis management chain is the

state management. Although politicians' ratings

are often measured in opinion polls, we were

interested in the kind of impression that high state

officials give the citizens when addressing them

about the virus. Exactly 55% of respondents

stated that government officials and their public

appearances cause them distress and panic. On

the other hand, 30% of the respondents rated

their behaviour as responsible and serious and

15% of them rated it as positive - “they calm us

down and they bring hope that everything will be

all right." When comparing these results to the

previous questions’, one could ask: If 55% of

respondents think politicians are bringing

discomfort and panic, while at the same time,

86% say they are not concerned about the virus,

are the politicians losing the trust of the people?

5) How much traction have conspiracy

theories gained among Serbian citizens?

Along with the first coronavirus cases came the

emergence of the first conspiracy theories. By

focusing all their resources on suppressing the

exponential growth of the virus, countries failed

to prevent the exponential growth of conspiracy

theories. There are countless conspiracy theories

today, but we have singled out a few.

The answers to the popular question of whether

the virus was transmitted from bats to humans or

40%

35%

25%

How much do you trust the

information received from the

media?

I believe it

The virus isn't so dangerous

The virus is more dangerous

17%

39%
44%

How was the coronavirus created?

Transmitted from a bat
Made in a laboratory
I don't know

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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if it was made in someone's lab showed that the

highest percentage of people believe that the

virus was made by scientists, as much as 44%

of respondents! When combined with the

undecided (39%), we conclude that a large

percentage (83%!) of people either completely

reject or distrust the theory that the transmission

of the virus occurred from an animal to a human.

Only 17% of respondents believe that the

pandemic came from one of the wet markets

containing exotic animals in Wuhan.

While on the topic of Wuhan, in addition to being

considered the world's epicentre of the COVID-

19 virus, it was also among the first cities in

China where 5G technology was deployed. It

didn't take long for new conspiracy theories to

emerge, as we are already hearing about how the

British are destroying their lampposts. What is

the situation in Serbia? As much as 15% of

respondents think 5G technology is harmful

and that there is a correlation between it and

the pandemic, while twice as many people

(30%) believe that this is a mere coincidence and

do not believe this theory. Most of the

respondents were undetermined - 55%. These

respondents also differ from one another, as we

have 40% who are suspiciously waiting for

scientific evidence to be presented, and 15% of

those who have no opinion on this matter.

Also, among the most popular in Serbia are the

following alternative interpretations: everything

is a plot of the pharmaceutical mafia that only

wants to profit, ”they created a virus in order to

sell us the vaccine” (believed by 28%), a

pandemic is a front for settling migrants in

Europe (27%) and the US made the virus to

destroy China economically (24%). The reverse

theory, also present in the world, but with a lower

acceptance in the Serbian public - 10% of the

respondents considered it to be a virus made by

China in order to overtake the United States

in a battle for the world's largest force. Overall, it

is encouraging that half of the respondents said

that they hold no beliefs in conspiracy theories.

6) Which country do citizens of Serbia believe

will be the first in developing a vaccine?

The fact that the “Made in China” label is no

longer undesirable demonstrates to what extent

crises can change the world, as well as peoples’

awareness about it. This is shown by the fact that

more than half of the respondents (60%)

50% 50%

Do you believe in conspiracy

theories?

I do I don't

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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believe that Chinese scientists will be the first to

develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Former

technological giants, countries who led the world

in innovations and high standards of living are

now ranked below China regarding the

development of a vaccine. This is demonstrated

by the fact that the United States enjoys only

24% of respondents’ trust, whereas a mere 11%

of respondents believe Germany will develop a

vaccine first.

7) How do the citizens of Serbia evaluate their

government’s measures and its’ management

of the crisis?

When it comes to the capability of the domestic

industry to develop respirators, surprisingly,

almost half of the respondents (49%) believe that

Serbia has the capacity to develop them; 29%

of the respondents disagree with this statement,

whereas 22% of the respondents claim that

Yugoslavia would have been the country capable

of doing so.

When asked about the 24 hour (total) lockdown

as ordered by the Government, Serbian public

opinion as measured between the 8th and 15th of

March has been significantly divided: 43% of

the respondents stated that they support the

lockdown, considering it ''the only measure that

can put us in line and create order.'' An identical

percentage (43%) believes that the 24 hour

lockdown is too harsh of a measure and

therefore do not condone it. The rest (14%) of the

respondents do not have an opinion on the matter.

A financial aid package of 5,1 billion euros has

ignited tremendous public attention, especially

regarding an initiative to give 100 Euros to every

adult Serbian citizen. During the presentation of

the economic measures, Serbian President

Aleksandar Vučić made a remarkable statement:

''People simply cannot believe that Serbia has

money''. With this remark in mind, we decided to

pose the question to the public in this way: "Do

you believe that Serbia has the money to

overcome the crisis?’’ Opinions were divided:

48% of the respondents agree that the money

will be provided, but also believe that pursuing

this policy will have negative long-term

consequences; 35% of the respondents believe

that Serbia does not have enough money for

such an endeavour, whereas 17% of them claim

that, because of its responsible fiscal and

monetary policy, Serbia does have enough

resources to overcome this crisis.

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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“Only Unity Saves the Serbs”, which is a famous

and widely-used proverb in Serbia, has had to

share its’ symbolic and moral importance with

another phrase that has gained almost the same

weight over the course of the past 20 years –

namely the saying that “there has never been a

greater solidarity than during the (NATO)

bombing”. This made us wonder whether this

pandemic and its’ ever-growing economic

impact have had enough of an effect on the

population as to re-awaken that reputable Serbian

unity. It appears that enthusiasm has been

somewhat lost: 60% of the respondents are of the

opinion that solidarity is somewhat higher than

usual. However, the ends of the spectrum

provide a more compelling analysis with only

10% of the respondents claiming that solidarity

is at an all-time-high (like during the 1999

bombing), whereas 30% of them claim that

people are more selfish than ever, as

demonstrated by increased panic buying and the

stockpiling of groceries.

8) How do the citizens of Serbia evaluate other

crisis management models (USA, EU,

Sweden)?

Although the evaluation of domestic solidarity

was not very positive, it's surprising to see that

85% of the respondents believe that global

issues such as a pandemic are most efficiently

resolved through international cooperation.

Meanwhile, only 15% of the respondents believe

that it is in every country's best interest to rely

on its’ own capacities. The results show a

growing awareness among the public of the

necessity of a global approach when dealing with

global issues.

Solidarity and cooperation between countries up

until recently served as synonyms for the

European Union. How does this stand today? The

results show that only 10% of the respondents

believe that the EU is aiding the countries

struck by the virus in every way it can. However,

a large percentage of respondents (45%) believe

that the response of the EU to this crisis was

inadequate, stating that it left Italy and Spain

stranded to their own devices. There is a

17%

35%

48%

Do you believe Serbia has enough

money to implement the economic

stimulus package?

Yes

Yes, but there will be negative consequences

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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surprisingly high percentage of respondents

(45%) who do not have an opinion on the

matter. Such results imply a possible tendency of

declining trust in EU institutions in Serbia after

the crisis.

The research results have shown that there is little

interest in the different models of crisis

management, since 35% of the respondents have

no opinion on president Trump's plan regarding

the pandemic and 60% do not have a clear

opinion regarding the so-called Swedish model,

even though Sweden is unique among European

countries in its’ approach to the crisis. Only 10%

of the respondents support the Swedish model,

stating that it is adequate. When it comes to the

US, almost half of the respondents consider

saving human lives more important than

President Trump’s quest of salvaging the

economy; 15% of the respondents condone the

latter, considering his worry about the economy

justified.

In the end, the respondents were asked to pick the

two, in their opinion, most important

consequences of isolation and social distancing.

More than half of (60%) believe a temporary

economic halt and the arrival of a new

economic crisis to be the main negative

consequence. The positive consequences of the

crisis, according to the respondents, would be the

recovery of nature, as well as a decrease in

climate change and air pollution.

10%

45%

Do you believe the EU reaction was

adequate?

Yes, the EU is sending

help

No, the EU left Italy

and Spain on their

own
I don't have an opinion

Centre for International Public Policy, Serbian Citizens’ Opinion on the COVID-19

Epidemic. SEEJPH 2020, posted: 16 May 2020. DOI : 10.4119/seejph-3459

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Discussion

The goal of the Centre for International Public

Policy when conducting this online research was

to enable citizens to indirectly state their opinion

on current issues, which have proven themselves

to be existentially important to them in these

uncommon circumstances. We also wanted to

provide a better insight for the public and for the

media into the citizens’ personal positions

regarding the current state of affairs, as well as

their expectations for the time that lies ahead of

them.

The positive findings of this research suggest that

citizens of Serbia are not afraid of COVID-19,

but are nevertheless cautious (86%). The

percentage of those willing to consult a doctor

when they notice any symptoms lies at 70%. Half

of the respondents do not believe in alternative

theories regarding the origin of the COVID-19

virus, as they seem to approach the matter

objectively. Of particularly high concern is the

fact that 55% of the respondents hold

government officials accountable for spreading

panic through public speeches and daily public

addresses. Moreover, 60% of the respondents do

not trust the Serbian media outlets that are

currently reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, over half of the respondents are

prepared to report their neighbour when he or she

is coming from abroad and violates the obligation

to self-isolate. However, mostly due to the

outrageously high fines, 65% of the respondents

would not report the elderly when they are

breaking the limited-movement restriction

measures.