Montenegro

Key findings in 2016

Percentage of respondents that agree or strongly agree with the following statements	Montenegro	Transition region average	Germany	Italy
Economic situation better than 4 years ago	24	24	33	7
Political situation better than 4 years ago	21	28	17	9
Household lives better than 4 years ago	28	29	28	10
There is less corruption than 4 years ago	20	23	16	10
Satisfied with personal financial situation	32	31	55	33

Satisfaction with the situation at the country level and with personal circumstances

24 and 21 per cent of respondents believe that the economic and political situation in Montenegro was better in 2016 than four years prior to the survey, values higher than the averages for south-eastern Europe (SEE), both at 17 per cent. Furthermore, 20 per cent of interviewed individuals think that corruption levels improved over the four years preceding the survey, 2 percentage points more than in the SEE region as a whole but 3 percentage points below the transition region average.

Among Montenegrin respondents, 28 per cent believe that their household was better off in 2016 as compared to four years prior to the survey, while 32 per cent are satisfied with their personal financial situation. Both values are comparable to the respective transition region averages and higher than the averages for SEE as a whole.

Life satisfaction slightly increased by 4 percentage points compared to 2010, particularly for those in the lower and middle income groups and among respondents aged 40 and above. As of 2016, 46 per cent of Montenegrin respondents were satisfied with their life, a percentage higher than the averages for Italy, SEE and the transition region (42, 39 and 43 per cent, respectively).

40 per cent of Montenegrin respondents think that children born now will have a better life than the current generations, a 10 percentage point decline relative to 2010 levels, and a level of optimism that is well below the transition region average of 50 per cent.

 

Attitudes towards democracy and the market economy

Among Montenegrin respondents, 58 and 44 per cent prefer democracy and a market economy over any other form of political or economic system, respectively. Both these percentages are higher than the corresponding transition region averages (51 and 37 per cent, respectively). Around 17 and 25 per cent of Montenegrins believe that an authoritarian system and a planned economy may be better under some circumstances, while 25 and 31 per cent state that “for people like me, it does not matter” which political and economic system prevails, respectively.

Despite the relatively strong support for democracy, Montenegrins are sceptical about the existence of democratic institutions in the country. Only 26 per cent of respondents believe that elections in their country are free, compared to an average of 39 per cent for SEE and 41 per cent for the transition region. Similarly, only a quarter of Montenegrins believe that the press is independent, while 37 per cent think that there is gender equality in their country. Both these figures are substantially lower than the averages for SEE and the transition region. Montenegrin respondents’ trust in law and order, freedom of speech, a strong political opposition and a fair court system are comparable to those in SEE and the transition region.

 

Priorities for government spending

Among Montenegrin respondents, 32 per cent would prefer extra government funding to be spent on health care, a figure comparable to the average for the transition region as a whole (34 per cent). This is followed by helping the poor (24 per cent), investments in education (19 per cent) and pensions (14 per cent). Housing, the environment and infrastructure are mentioned by less than 3 per cent of all respondents as priorities for government spending. Consistently, additional results from LiTS III show that about 61 and 48 per cent of Montenegrin respondents would be willing to pay more taxes in order to improve the quality of the public health system and to assist the poor, respectively.

 

Sources of information

The main daily sources of information for Montenegrins are the television and the radio (66 per cent), followed by discussions with family, friends or colleagues (63 per cent) and the internet and social media (51 per cent). Newspapers are read on a daily basis by 37 per cent of the population, the highest average in the transition region, on a par with Estonia.

 

Self-assessed health

73 per cent of Montenegrin respondents report a positive health self-assessment, the third highest percentage in the sample and one higher than the averages for Italy (54 per cent), Germany (68 per cent), SEE (65 per cent) and the transition region (54 per cent). Additional analysis, however, shows that compared to 2010 there has been a 4 percentage point decline in perceived health quality across almost all demographic groups. Only those aged 60 and older exhibited an improvement in reported health (of 15 percentage points).

 

Quality of public services

Slightly more than 70 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the quality of the supply of water, electricity, and telephone line services. However, all three percentages are below the respective averages for SEE and the transition region. Satisfaction with the quality of local roads (42 per cent), postal services (78 per cent), and heating (83 per cent) is comparable to the averages for both SEE and the transition region.

 

Social and economic mobility

When respondents were asked from a list of options what they thought were the most important factors for success in life in their country, 49 per cent of Montenegrins chose “effort and hard work”, while the second most popular answer was “political connections” (29 per cent).

 

Attitudes towards women

88 and 78 per cent of female and male Montenegrin respondents, respectively, think that women are as competent as men as business executives. Moreover, 82 per cent of all Montenegrins believe that it is important that their daughter achieves a university education. However, a considerably higher proportion of men believe that men make better political leaders than women (58 per cent of men as opposed to 37 per cent of women) and that a woman should do the household chores, even if her husband is not working (45 per cent of men compared to 32 per cent of women). Lastly, 56 per cent of interviewed respondents favour a traditional family arrangement where the man works and the woman takes care of the family.