71% of Georgians support the country’s accession to the European Union, while 67% trust the EU and 40% have a positive image of the bloc, according to the 2026 Annual Survey Report released on June 17 by the EU-funded EU NEIGHBOURS East Programme.
The survey was fielded in January and February through face-to-face interviews with 1,002 respondents across Georgia. While the majority of Georgians continue to trust the EU and support accession, the share of those with favorable attitudes toward the bloc has declined over the past two years.
Attitudes towards the EU:
The poll found that 71% of respondents either strongly or somewhat support the country’s accession to the bloc. Strong support declined slightly from 42% in 2025 to 41% in 2026, while the share of those who somewhat support membership fell from 32% to 30%.
The findings show that the European Union remains the most trusted among the international actors, with 67% of Georgians expressing trust in the bloc, followed by the World Bank (63%), the United States (58%), and NATO and UN with 54% each. While the figure is unchanged from last year, it marks a notable decline from 2024, when trust in the EU stood at 81%.
According to the survey, Russia was the lowest-trusted foreign actor, with only 12% of respondents expressing trust and 79% showing distrust. 26% said they trusted China, while 60% expressed distrust.
40% of respondents reported having a positive image of the EU (15% – very positive, 25 % – fairly positive), down from 43% in 2025 and 60% in 2024. Half (50%) of those surveyed said they held a neutral image of the bloc, while those holding a negative image accounted for 8% (4% – fairly negative, and 4% – very negative), up from 7% in 2025 and 5% in 2024.
Perceptions of Georgia’s relationship with the European Union have similarly deteriorated. 60% of respondents said Georgia has very or fairly good relations with the EU, down from 63% in 2025 and 87% in 2024. The share of those describing the relations as “very or fairly bad” stood at 30% in 2026, up from 24% in 2025 and 8% in 2024.
When asked about the main benefits of EU membership, respondents most frequently cited peace and security for Georgia and the wider region (47%), a better future for children (47%), and improved education opportunities and policies (44%).
The most cited concerns of Georgia’s EU membership were youth drain and emigration (35%), higher levels of immigration (22%), and “loss of our cultural identity and traditional values” (15%).
Regarding the timeline for Georgia’s accession, 30% of respondents said they did not know when the country could join the bloc, 27% believed membership could be achieved within the next five years, while 24% estimated it would take between five and 15 years.
The survey also examined perceived obstacles to Georgia’s accession process. 34% of respondents identified “no political will in Georgia” as the main barrier to membership, followed by “unresolved territorial disputes/ territories under occupation” (13%) and Georgia’s inability to “achieve the required standards” (13%).
Concerns about the country’s progress toward EU membership appear to be growing. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, said Georgia is not moving in the right direction toward joining the European Union, an increase of 4 percentage points compared with 2025. At the same time, 56% of respondents believe that “proposed laws affecting CSOs and the media” will negatively affect Georgia’s EU accession, up from 50% in 2025.
Domestic Attitudes
The survey also focused on broader public concerns about socioeconomic conditions. Respondents identified unemployment (69%), poverty (58%), and low salaries and pensions (57%) as the country’s most pressing problems.
As for the trust in domestic institutions, the highest share of respondents – 78% – expressed trust in military forces, followed by religious authority at 65%, local public authorities at 50%, and civil society organizations at 48%.
At the same time, political parties enjoyed the lowest trust, with only 21% saying they tend to trust them, while 70% expressing distrust. 41% said they tend to trust Georgia’s government, with 54% distrusting, 34% showed trust in the parliament, with distrust at 60%, while the trust in media stood at 38%, and in judicial and electoral systems at 35% each.
Also Read:
