Opinion poll: Belarus boasts high human potential
Belarus is a country with high human potential – as noted by Irina Lashuk, the Head of the Department of Economic Sociology and Psychology of Entrepreneurship, the Centre for Social and Humanitarian Studies at the Belarusian State Economic University, when commenting on the sociological poll results, BelTA reports
The respondents were asked of what advantages of Belarus create the basis for co-operation with Serbia and other Slavic countries, and the results were as follows: 43.5 percent of those asked believe Belarus is a country that boasts high human potential, 41.5 percent – Belarus is an eco-friendly country, 35.5 percent – Belarus is an agrarian country with rural culture, 31 percent – Belarus is a reliable ally and partner in the international arena, 29.8 percent – Belarus is a bridge between civilisations, between the West and the East, 22.5 percent – Belarus is an international negotiating platform, 21.9 percent – Belarus is a donor of peace and stability in the region, and 21.1 percent – Belarus is a state of social justice.
"During our work, we studied not only the position of Belarusians towards Serbs, but also towards themselves. In this regard, certain differences were revealed. For example, Serbs say that Belarus is more of an agro-industrial country, while Belarusians believe their country boasts high human potential. It is a very good position, which tops the poll results. It is followed by the position that Belarus is an eco-friendly country. The agricultural production – as an important component of the country – is next in line. These data indicate that we perceive ourselves more profoundly," Ms. Lashuk noted.
Another mirror question that was asked to Belarusians and Serbs during the study was in what areas it is necessary to develop co-operation between Belarus and Serbia. “The results were similar,” the expert commented, noting that it also speaks to the countries’ common interests. “These are primarily manufacturing, education and science, the trade and economic sphere, and the tourism sector – which is very important against the background of sanctions. Tourism is developing towards the countries that are friendly to us, and it is logical. We have very serious resources for each other here," Ms. Lashuk emphasised.
The expert added, “I believe this comparative study is the first step in the scientific understanding of the mass consciousness of Belarusians and Serbs. It is worth developing further in this direction, there are great prospects in this regard.”
The development of relations with friendly states requires constant consideration of public opinion and requests. One of the ways is to conduct counter-research: two sociological centres simultaneously organise a representative survey in their respective countries using a similar methodology and pre-agreed tools (questionnaire).
A counter-survey between Belarus and Serbia was conducted in December 2024. In Serbia, the public opinion poll was organised by the Institute for International Politics and Economics with the involvement of House of Win, an independent research centre. In Belarus, the survey was conducted by the Centre for Social and Humanitarian Studies of the Belarusian State Economic University via door-to-door interviews (covering 1,500 respondents). The main goal was to identify the peculiarities of mutual perception of Belarusians and Serbs, to determine the most promising areas of co-operation and development of friendly relations between the two countries. Taking into account the coincidence of the time of the social research with the election campaign in Belarus, a separate block of questions in the Belarusian part of the study concerned citizens’ assessment of the socio-political situation and their electoral priorities.
