Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

Author: Aleksandar Krzhalovski
ISBN: 978-608-4848-10-3
Date: August, 2018
PDF: referendum-2018-public-opinion-poll-in-macedonia.pdf

This report “Referendum 2018” presents and analyzes the attitudes of Macedonia’s public regarding the forthcoming referendum on the reached agreement with Greece on the name dispute. The attitudes were measured by asking people to respond to several questions in a survey conducted by M-prospect on behalf of MCIC in July 2018.

The Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) is a civil society organization focused on democratic development of Macedonia, as well as the European policies and integrations.

MCIC has continuously supported the right for self-identification of the Republic of Macedonia.

In 2004, together with other organizations has organized and participated in the campaign “Say Macedonia” (Don’t you FYROM me). In 2008 in a joint statement “Both Macedonia and NATO”, MCIC together with few other organizations stated its opinion that the name is a right to self-identification.

After NATO refused to offer invitation for membership in 2008 and after the stall in the EU integration process in 2009, the name dispute became the main obstacle for Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

In 2010, MCIC conducted the first ever public opinion poll on Macedonia’s name dispute. In 2011 and 2013, motivated by the stalled Euro-Atlantic integrations of Macedonia and the need for fact-based policies, MCIC and IDSCS conducted series of new research on Macedonia’s name dispute, where the last one was completed in April 2018.

Having in mind the signed Agreement (final treaty) with Greece in June earlier this year, as well as the referendum expected this fall, MCIC decided to conduct another public opinion poll on the agreement itself and the forthcoming referendum. The poll findings are presented in this report.

The research should contribute for a wider and better informed public debate on the name dispute, involving all relevant stakeholders.