The first three months of implementation of the measures set out in the Memorandum coincides with the completion of 10 months of PASOK governance. The significant decline in government support stemming from social discontent, in an extremely short space of time, is clearly reflected in the attitudes of citizens, not only toward the government policies being exercised (or not) but also toward the persons entrusted with their implementation.
The significant social and political developments that are currently in full swing are clearly reflected in Public Issue’s July Barometer. The negative performance of the ruling party and the prime minister has heightened uncertainty about political developments, but also about the endurance of the present government.
The present crisis of trust in governance could be described as structural. Moreover, it attests to a crisis of representation that is unprecedented since the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974.
The dynamics of the new period for the political scene in Greece following the coming of the IMF are manifested in three directions (in order of importance): First, by the great surge in voters’ intentions to abstain and exit the electorate. Second, by the significant weakening of the two major governing parties, not only at the level of their leadership, but also in terms of their support within society. Third, by the increase in electoral support for the Left. At the same time, society’s preference for single-party governments has declined markedly.
Even before being passed by parliament and of course before their implementation, popular support for the government’s new measures is very low. Two in 3 citizens (66%) are against the measures, while this figure is even higher among those segments of the active population which are directly affected, e.g. salaried employees in the public sector (68%), in the private sector (69%) and the unemployed (73%). Eight in 10 respondents consider the measures “unjust”, while 6 in 10 believe that “they serve the interests of the few” and not the “common good”.
Conducted by Public Issue S.A. on behalf of the NGO ‘Transparency International – Greece’, the national survey sheds light on the extent of corruption in the public and private sectors in Greece and records public attitudes toward the phenomenon. According to the results of the 2009 survey, the magnitude of petty corruption in both sectors overall is estimated at approximately € 790 million, compared to around € 750 million the previous year.
The killing of a 16-year-old youth in the Athens district of Exarchia in December 2008 sparked a series of events that shook Greek society and left an indelible mark on political developments. According to this survey, conducted one year after the riots, public opinion appears to be split, expressing contradictory and conflicting opinions. However, the majority of citizens are inclined to believe that the events constituted a social revolt.
The survey by Public Issue on the attitudes of Greeks toward Islam investigates, for the first time in Greece, social perceptions concerning the notions and symbols associated with the Islamic faith, the degree of knowledge and familiarity of citizens with Islamic culture, as well as social beliefs regarding relations between Islam & the West and Islam & Greece.
In contrast with the country’s politicians, the majority of Greek public opinion appears to have sufficiently understood the magnitude, and to a great extent the nature of the escalating social eruption. More specifically: First, 6 in 10 adults agree not only with the view that the rioting constitutes a genuine ‘social revolt’ (60% against 36%) but also with the opinion that it is a ‘mass social phenomenon’ as opposed to the manifestations of ‘a small minority’ (60% against 36%).